


Collidescope

by EsseR3xinaLives



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-08-08 18:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16434758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EsseR3xinaLives/pseuds/EsseR3xinaLives
Summary: She always knew she was lucky to be attending an Atlesian prep school as a faunus, but when a mining accident throws her entire future off track, Ilia needs to try to find new ways to fulfill her parents dream of giving the faunus better opportunities while figuring out her own place in a world that is stringently ruled by a faunus/human dichotomy.This is basically the background story of Ilia Amitola, which means there's a crap ton of original characters since this starts before way early in her life, but more canon characters will come in later and tags will be updated as they're added.





	1. A Palette of Colors

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I just wanted to say thank you so much for joining me in the first installment of Collidescope! The plan is for me to update this every month, so some time in November the second chapter should be up, so a little flexible on the schedule, but I feel like I can take time to write more when I space out updates. Also, Blake and the White Fang will be coming into the story shortly, so thank you for those who aren't a big fan of OC's for checking this out, but I had to create a cast for while she was at Atlas. Finally, this fic does and will have instances of human/faunus racism, so read at your own discretion. Anyways, let me know what you think and be sure to read, comment, kudos and enjoy =)

Yellow for Joy

Blue for Sorrow

Red for Anger

Green for Envy

All emotions can be linked to colors.

"And colors change based on how you feel."

“What?!”  The freckled bruenette asked as she tried to keep from glowing in embarrassment.  “What are you talking about?!”

“Oh my gosh, Ilia!  Did you seriously not hear a word I said?!”

The little girl shrunk back in her seat at the admonishments of her dearest friend as a light pink dusted her cheeks.  “I’m sorry Clara.  I was spacing.”

The blonde gave an exasperated sigh as she dropped her blue gaze to the table.  “Ilia, I was just explaining to you what the most incredible finding of all time was!”  Clara explained as the ringlettes in her hair flew at the announcement.  “Haven’t you heard anything about what’s ‘in’ these days?!”

“I… I mean…” Ilia stuttered, averting her gaze as she tensed her shoulders and twiddled with her thumbs.  Her young friend shook her head as she grabbed one of the shaking hands.

“Ilia!  You need to get it together!  You're my roommate.  If you can’t be on top of what’s new, you need to at least listen to me while I tell you so that people don’t make fun of us.”

“Oh-uh- right!”  Ilia confirmed as she nodded her head.  “What were you saying?  I’m listening now.”

Clara rolled her eyes before she reached into her pocket and pulled out an object that the Ilia gingerly took.  “It’s… a ring?”

“Not just _any_ kind of ring Ilia.”  Clara emphasized as she fiddled to place the ring on her roommate’s index finger.  “It’s a mood ring.”

“Okay,” Ilia responded, confusion riddling her face.  “What’s so great about it.”

“Ilia,” the fashionista groaned as her head rolled back.  “A mood ring tells how you’re feeling based on what color it changes.”

“Really?”  Ilia asked as she gave a closer inspection on the piece of jewelry.  “Hey, what does it mean when it’s grey?”

“It means you don’t really feel anything right now,” Clara deadpanned.  “You know, like you’re not angry, but you’re not happy or anything else really.  You’re just… kinda... eh.”

Grey eyes stared at the bauble before they turned quickly back to the mentor of popularity.  “How does it work?”

“Dust.”

“Really?”  Ilia asked as she looked closer into the ring to see if she could confirm her friend's answer.  “But I thought dust was just for exploding stuff.”

“That’s not _all_ that dust is used for.”  The blonde informed as she tidily unpacked her lunch box.  “Dust can be used for a whole lot of things!  I mean just about everything is powered by dust!”

“Really?!”

“Yeah!  Even thermometers are powered through the use of dust, which is what allows the mood ring to work.”

Ilia tilted her head as her chin rested in her palm.  “I don't get it.  What do rings have to do with therm… therma… thermotors?”

Blue eyes rolled as Clara began to spread peanut butter on a slice of bread.  “A thermometer tells how... hot your body is.  You know, like how the nurse will check that in case you have a fever?  Well, apparently when you feel differently about something it changes how hot your body is too.”

“Whoa, really!”  The young girl gasped as she inspected the bauble before her as it began to turn a light orange color.  “Look!  It’s changing colors!  What’s it mean?!”

“That means you’re really happy about something.”  Clara informed as she gingerly placed a jam filled sliced of bread on top of the one with peanut butter.  “You should keep that ring.  Then people will know your up to date on what's happening.”

“Really?”  Ilia asked as her eyes sparkled with hope.

“Of course, just don’t let anyone know that I gave it to you.”  Clara stated, turning to give Ilia her full attention.  “You don’t want them to think you’re only getting by through my giving you free stuff, they’ll think you’re not as cool if they don’t think you figure these things out yourself.”

“Uh… For sure.”  Ilia agreed uncertainly, getting lost in how many ‘thinks’ it took to complete that one sentence, before disregarding the thought.  “Thank you so much Clara!  You really are the best!”

“Of course I am!”  The blonde announced as she flipped her ringed hair back.  “I am the daughter of the great Azure Caelum, the Chief Operations Officer of the Schnee Dust Company, and when I grow up, I’m going to be just like daddy!”

“Wow, that’s so cool!”  Ilia cooed as she looked on, starstruck by the importance of her roommate.  “Is that how you get all these cool things?”

“Oh, this isn’t even half of the perks my father gets for his work.”  Clara gloated as she grabbed her carton of apple juice.  “I just provide you with the things you need that people will notice.”

“Right!”  The small girl readily agreed as she began to shrink back into her regular posture.  “Well, I thank you a lot!”

A self-satisfied chuckle escaped the future entrepreneur as she let her hair shake lightly.  “It’s what besties are for.”

Ilia beamed a smile at her roommate before a group of three other girls walked towards them.

“Clara!”

Blue eyes opened to examine the newly arrived crowd with purpose.  “Ah, hello girls!  What kept you?  We’re halfway through lunch.”

“We know Clara, but the others were talking about something way interesting!”  A girl with light green hair in a ponytail informed, bouncing on her feet ready to spill the details.

“They were talking about the faunus the police took yesterday.”

“Malan!”

The girl with short violet hair shrugged as she turned back to the greenette.  “You weren’t going to say it anytime soon.”

Brown eyes narrowed dangerously at her friend’s indifference until the third girl with loose wavy bronze hair cut in between them.  “Did you hear about it Clara?  The faunus who showed up in the square?”

The blonde gave a ‘hmph’ as she shook the ringlettes out of her face.  “Girls, don’t you know how improper it is to discuss these things at the lunch table.”

“Well when else would we be able to talk about it?!”  The greenette exclaimed as she gestured wildly.  “We have classes all the rest of the day and everyone’s heading home for the weekend!”

“Wait a minute, what are you all talking about?”  Ilia asked as her gaze panned across the students.  “What happened in the square yesterday?”

The three students looked towards each other before a soft click of a closing lunchbox turned their attention to the ringleader.  “Some faunus riff-raff was bugging the good people of Atlas, so the police had him arrested.”

“Did you hear what he told the reporters?”  The newest arrival asked as she took a seat across from Clara.  “He claimed to have just moved from Mistral and was looking for a job.”

“And you honestly believe that?”  Clara asked as she gave the most incredulous look.  “The faunus don’t actually _work_ for a living.  They just take anything they can get their measly hands on and whine about how difficult it is being a born liar.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there,” the girl named Malan stated as she sat across from Ilia.  “I mean, who in their right mind would leave Mistral anyways?  It’s got everything.  Awesome fashion, great weather.”

“Maybe the faunus got kicked out for being too dirty for the kingdom.”

The girls all began laughing as Ilia watched the reaction of her friends, awkwardly chuckling as she scratched the back of her head.  “Yeah, I mean, they totally have to be lying since everyone knows all the faunus live in Mantle anyways.  Obviously, a lie.”

“Obviously,” Clara affirmed as she straightened herself up in her seat.  “Is there ever a faunus that doesn’t lie?”

The girls giggled as they gave affirmative hums and began digging into their lunches as Ilia chuckled softly before letting her gaze fall.  She was never quite sure how to feel or what to say when the faunus were brought up, but she must have been responding the right way to the subject.

After all, her friends wouldn’t be there is she wasn’t doing the right thing, right?

“Your turning purple Ilia.”

“What?”  The brunette asked as she inspected herself fretfully before a firm hand grasped her shoulder.

“Your ring, it’s turning purple which usually means your tense.”

Ilia lifted her hand to inspect the ring as she released the breath she had been holding, letting the tension leave her shoulders.

“There’s nothing to worry about Ilia,” Clara assured as she gave the shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “The police got the faunus, they can’t hurt you now.”

“R-right!”  Ilia stuttered as she released another shaky breath, causing concern to well within the blonde.

“Ilia, are you going to be okay?”

The girl in question turned to her friend, concern sparkling in blue eyes as Ilia gave a shaky breath before returning back with a bright smile.

“Of course I’ll be okay Clara,” Ilia stated as her smile widened.  “I’ve got an awesome friend like you.”

Clara returned the smile as the other three continued to be too distracted in their own conversation to notice their exchange.  “Glad to hear it.  Anyways, lunch will end shortly so make sure you get the energy you need for your next class.”

“O-of course!”

Clara then gathered her things and proceeded to walk towards the garbage bin as Ilia stared at her cafeteria meal before stabbing a spork into her peas.  She decided she wasn’t going to let the conversation about the faunus get to her.

After all, she had fantastic friends who liked being with her.

What more could she possibly need?

* * *

 

“Finally!  The weekend has arrived!”

Clara cheered as she flopped onto her bed, Ilia offering a soft smile as she pulled out her backpack to unpack all the textbooks she had crammed in there.  “You’re pretty happy it’s the weekend Clara.”

“Who isn’t?”  Clara asked as she rose from her bed.  “Everyone leaves school to go home for the weekends.  At least, everyone who’s from this kingdom.”

Ilia gave a soft giggle as she grabbed a pile to shove in her backpack.  “That’s true.”

Blue eyes turned towards Ilia as they locked onto the backpack.  “Ilia, why do you always pack rags in your backpack when you go home?”

“Oh, uh, they’re just cleaning rags I borrow from my mom,” Ilia said, fighting off the feeling of embarrassment.  “She likes me to bring them back on the weekends so that she can wash them.”

“But why bring your own rags?”  Clara asked as she hopped off her bed.  “The school has its own cleaning staff.”

“I-I know,” Ilia stammered as she averted her gaze.  “But-But I just don’t know if they’ll be as good.  I mean, our room’s pretty clean, right?”

Blue eyes analyzed the room, pristine and white with the two perfectly made full beds on either side, matched with the white curtains that were complemented by the blue carpet and blankets, which were neatly tucked into place.  The bookshelf beneath the window between their beds was perfectly organized as were the desks next to the foot of each of their beds.  Clara shook her head to get her hair out of her face as she turned towards the brunette.  “You know, with as nice as our room keeps looking, you may be right.”

Ilia gave an awkward chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.  “Yeah, maybe I’m just picky, but I just feel better using my own things.”

“I won't argue that one then.”  Clara answered as she grabbed her backpack.  “Anyways, are you almost done packing?”

“Yep, good to go!”  Ilia answered with a brilliant smile as she put it on.

“Good!”  Clara exclaimed as she turned towards the door.  “Then we’re off!”

“Yeah!”

They rushed out the door into the white hallways that were spectacularly decorated with flowers on nightstands and paintings spread across the walls at different intervals.

Of course, Clara was never as impressed with the décor as Ilia was, she made the mistake of commenting on it to her before.

“Are your parents going to be late picking you up again today?”

Ilia snapped her attention back to her friend before turning back to avert her gaze and scratch the back of her head.  “Oh, uh, I mean, probably…”

A soft hum was given in response as blue eyes remained locked forward.  “I suppose it’s only to be expected.  After all, they must be doing something very important for General Ironwood, right?”

Grey eyes went straight to the ground as a soft blush began to spread across Ilia’s cheeks.  She tried to not talk about her parents, she wasn’t supposed to, but everyone has questions about everyone’s home life.  Of course, it was made a bit easier when she and her father were seen with General Ironwood during her registration.  Everyone began to assume that her father was one of the higher ups in the Atlesian military since the General was the one who convinced the school to allow her to attend.

And it was a lot easier to lie when everyone else came up with the fabrication.

Ilia tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders, still refusing to meet the blue gaze.  “I guess so.”

“That’s so like you Ilia, you’re so modest!”  The blonde chirped as she gave a soft smile.  “There’s really no reason to be though.  To be one of the top people in with General Ironwood is a high honor.  I mean, he runs… everything in this kingdom!”

A soft smile crept upon Ilia’s face as a dreamy mist took over grey eyes, wondering how her father was able to get Ironwood to register her.  Of course, he was also the one who created the rule that she wasn’t allowed to talk about her parents, but people weren’t going to pry too deep where the general was involved.

It made her feel a bit… special.

“Yeah,” she said in a voice as dreamy as her expression.  “I guess he is.”

“Hmph, see, there you go again.”  Clara jabbed with a small smirk scratching at her face.  “Talking about the general as if it’s no big deal.”

“Well, how should I know if it’s a big deal?”  Ilia asked as she chuckled slightly.  “I don’t even know what my father does for him.”

“Well obviously it must be something impressive.”  The future entrepreneur answered with a light eye-roll.  “General Ironwood wouldn’t have anything less.”

A soft chuckle escaped Ilia as grey eyes looked straight ahead.  “Hopefully, I can become someone impressive too.”

They walked through the double doors into the cold wintry landscape with Clara shivering slightly from the sudden chill.

“Do you need another jacket Clara?”

The blonde giggled with a great smile taking over her face.  “You’re such a doll, Ilia.  But I can’t take your jacket, you’d have nothing left.”

“It’s okay,” Ilia assured as she readjusted her backpack.  “I’m used to cold weather.”

“It’s fine Ilia, my ride’s pulling up here anyway.”

Grey eyes narrowed to try to look past the blizzardy haze as a black limo came into the pick-up area.  Clara rushed over as the chauffeur opened the door for her and she dove in, opening the window to wave towards her friend as the vehicle roared in preparation for its departure before darting off with the brunette's dear roommate.

She stood there for a long time, hand still raised in the air to signal a farewell as her eyes pierced through the light fog to ensure the vehicle was completely gone.  She looked around her surroundings, making sure no one else was nearby and then began to walk away from the school and further into the main kingdom.  It was never an easy trek home, especially not with the weather the way it was, but she always found it worthwhile to find whatever chance she could to visit home.

Besides, it’s not like Mantle was on the other side of the world.

She trekked through the piling snow for a half mile before arriving at the train station and sneaking into the nearest restroom.  She pulled out the ‘rags’ that she had packed as she began to change, replacing her prep school uniform with the baggy brown shirt and long scratchy ‘slacks’ that was accustomed on Mantle.  She then rushed to sneak into the only train that bothered to go to Mantle as she took a seat as far to the back as possible, waiting patiently until the train finally jolted forward to carry her away.

To carry her home.

She gave a sigh as the train began to move forward.  It took about an hour until the train finally reached Mantle, but Ilia didn’t mind.  She actually liked taking the train, living in Atlas, being completely in control of when she returned to Mantle.  It made her feel like an adult.

Realization dawned on her as she quickly rummaged through her backpack before she fished out the mood ring that Clara had given her.  She was really glad Clara was her roommate.  As far as she could tell, Clara was willing to do whatever it took to help Ilia fit into prep school life.  She had only been there a month so far, and she was a little worried about the prospect of being away from her parents at first, but that didn’t compare to the excitement of living in Atlas.

Still, there were a lot of things that were confusing to her.

Like, how her friends would always say the faunus were dirty, or liars, but never seemed to think that way about Ilia, instead calling her a ‘doll,’ whatever that meant.

The other thing was how a ring of dust was allowed to change colors, but she would get in trouble if she did.

She wore the ring, watching as the colors swirled around within the glass before settling on a subtle brown color.  She half-wondered what color that was supposed to mean according to Clara, since the mood rings don’t seem to follow the same logic Ilia did.  Like when she was happy, she’d usually turn yellow, orange was a more daring feeling.

And tense usually was black while purple was when she was ashamed.

Though, she wasn’t sure if she turned black when she was tense because that’s the actual color of the emotion, or because it simply seemed easier to hide in that color.  She wanted to try to explore that more.

Of course, she wasn’t allowed to change colors at school, so she couldn’t fully practice her color shifting or try to determine what color each emotion was linked to.

A bittersweet smile swept over her face as she inspected the ring.  She never really knew what all the things she felt were, but her parents could tell by her color she felt something, and they could talk to her to figure out the emotion.

_Purple means your tense._

Maybe Clara knew, but couldn’t openly say so she got her that ring.  So that Ilia could be a little bit more herself without having to break the promises she kept to General Ironwood in order to remain in the academy.

Without having to admit to being a faunus.

The train suddenly stopped as Ilia grabbed her backpack and quickly rushed to exit the train and began running down the streets of Mantle.  Taking sight of the worn grey houses that looked like they could collapse beneath the weight of the snow if she stepped too loudly.  She continued to walk straight ahead, past hovels and dirt piles as she trekked in knee-high snow that wouldn’t be shoveled anytime soon since they didn’t let vehicles go to Mantle for snow removal so it all had to be done by hand.

She still wasn’t going to let that keep her from her parents.

SMACK

The sound of snickering laughter reached Ilia’s ears as she rubbed the back of her head before turning around to glare at the assaulters.  “Hey, what was that for!”

A shaggy grey-haired teenager with rhinoceros horns protruding from his nose and forehead spoke first.  “What do you think it’s for, you stupid house pet!”

“You know you don’t belong here.”  The navy-haired companion spoke in a soft voice with grasshopper wings.  “There’s no place for a fake faunus like you.”

“I’m a real faunus!”  Ilia shouted, skin turning red immediately as she seethed at the teenagers.  The rhinoceros faunus laughed as he moved through the deep snow.  “Oh please, changing colors is probably just some bizarre semblance.  Who’s to say you weren’t just a human reject and picked up by some faunus sell-outs.”

“My parents are my parents!”  The chameleon faunus screamed as she held her ground.  “And your just jealous because you guys don’t have parents who could get you into Atlas!”

The grey-headed bully grabbed the brunette by the backpack straps, grabbing fistfuls of her shirt to ensure she couldn’t escape while his companion watched on with a sneer on his face.  “You wanna take that back you domesticated brat?”

The brunette growled as she maintained eye contact, not daring to back down while also knowing she couldn’t fight.

She hated feeling so helpless.

“Hey, what are you kids doing?!”

The two turned towards the voice, watching as a man rushed towards them before dropping the girl on the ground, cursing under their breath as they ran away.  Ilia rose to dust the snow off her as she turned to glare in the bullies direction.

“Hey there kiddo, you doing okay?”

She looked up to see a man with sharp copper eyes, black slicked back hair and a goatee.  She beamed a brilliant smile as she jumped up to give him a hug.  “Mr. Copper!”

The man returned the hug as a warm smile took over his face.  “It’s nice of you to come by kiddo.”

“Mr. Copper, are my parents home from work yet?”  Ilia asked as she looked up to him with pleading grey eyes before Mr. Copper ruffled her hair.  “Sorry Ilia, they haven’t let out the mine workers for the day yet.”

Grey eyes dropped as Ilia whined, causing Mr. Copper to kneel down to be more eye level with the small girl.  “Hey now, there’s no need to be upset.   As a matter of fact, I was just about to head towards the mine entrance if you want to come along.”

Ilia beamed before she crawled on top of Mr. Copper so that she could ride on his shoulders, cheering as he lifted her above the snow.  She leaned forward to point towards their destination.  “Onwards, to my parents!... please.”

Mr. Copper chuckled before taking slow steps through the deep snow.  “So polite, even when your giving orders.  Your parents are definitely raising you right.”

“I guess so,” Ilia stated as she averted her gaze before crossing her arms to rest them against Mr. Copper's head.  “I miss them though.  Especially daddy.”

Copper eyes rolled as a soft smirk crossed Mr. Copper's head.  “Your mother wouldn’t be too happy to hear that your picking favorites, you know.”

“But mommy hates me!”  Ilia exclaimed as she rose slightly at the announcement.  “I just want to make her happy, but she always seems so mad at me every time I try to visit.”

“Your mother just wants what’s best for you Ilia,” Mr. Copper explained as they traveled through a narrow space between two houses.  “She’s worried that if people know you’re coming to Mantle, they’ll get suspicious and begin to realize that you’re a faunus.”

“But, I don’t get it,” Ilia admitted as she leaned forward again.  “I mean, it’s not like I’m not a faunus when I’m at school.  Why would people not realize that I am one?”

“Because your faunus trait isn’t as obvious as others.”  Mr. Copper explained, stopping as a pile of snow dropped in front of the two of them before taking a step back to change directions.

“It’s still weird though,” the faunus pouted as she rested her head on the one beneath her.

Mr. Copper shook his head as he chuckled lightly.  “There’s a lot about this world that doesn’t make sense.”

“Like how those guys were scared of you when you showed up?”

“Nah, it’d probably be sensible of them to be scared of me if they were messing with you.”

Ilia giggled as Mr. Copper bounced her on his shoulders before her laughter died down.  “They didn’t do anything to you, did they?”

“No, I was hoping that if I didn’t wear my school uniform around here they wouldn’t mess with me.  Mother threw a huge fit when I came home in a ruined uniform.”  Ilia sighed as tears threatened to flow.  “I had never seen Momma look so angry.  Or Daddy look so sad…”

“It’s good your taking precautions Ilia,” Mr. Copper stated softly as he continued to trek forward.  “Not many people in your position can get into Atlas for study.  It’s something a lot of people here would kill for.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

The words fell as the snow crunched beneath large black boots while Ilia took in the amount of snow that had fallen on the houses, wondering if her parents had set up the pails to catch the water that would leak through the roof.  She gave a shiver as the thought entered her mind, wondering if they’d have enough dust or firewood to keep warm for the evening.

“Getting chilly up there?”  Mr. Copper asked sincerely watching for slick patches in the haphazardly shoveled pathway.  “Sorry, that it’s a lot less comfy around here than in Atlas.”

“S’okay,” Ilia answered with a sniff before offering a smile.  “I get to be with friends here.”

“Oh come now,” Mr. Copper stated as he tsked softly.  “I know you have plenty of friends up in Atlas based on all the stories I hear about them.”

“Well, yeah…” Ilia admitted as she scratched the back of her head.  “But I see them every day!  I only get to see everyone here every once in like… forever!”

“Ilia, you’ve been coming down at least once a week since you started school.”

“I can’t help it!”  Ilia whined as she leaned against Mr. Copper's head.  “I miss you all sooooo much!”

A soft chuckle escaped Mr. Copper as he attempted to meet the girl’s gaze.  “And you have been dearly missed here Ilia.  Things are definitely a lot more lively with you around.”

“Really?  I’m sure there’re other kids who do as much running around as I do.”

“Oh, there definitely are.”  He answered with a chuckle.  “However, none of them like to stop and chat with an old man like me.”

“Well Daddy says you’re not _that_ old.”

A full laugh broke from Mr. Copper as he readjusted Ilia on his shoulders.  “Perhaps in comparison to your old man, but I am quite a bit older than you are.”

Ilia paused to think for a minute, recognizing the path they were on as being close to the mines with the loose gravel path and the haphazard attempt at shoveling it strictly for shipment purposes.  She rested her arms against her host’s head as she rested her chin atop it.  “It’s because people are scared of you, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think people are scared of me?”

“I don’t know!”  The brunette exclaimed as she rose upwards.  “I just… I mean… People just seem to treat you… differently.  Like they don’t think they can trust you.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” the man stated as he began to move uphill.  “It just comes with being me.”

“It just seems weird.”  The faunus began as she cast her gaze downward.  “The humans say such mean things about the faunus, and then the faunus go around and say such mean things about you and me.  Why are people always saying mean things?”

“There’s a power in putting people down Ilia,” the man stated with a sigh.  “When you put people down and convince others they're ‘bad,’ you can determine if they can be deemed worthy for a place in your friendship circle, or even worse, your society.”

Ilia began to toy with her hands as grey eyes locked onto the ground.  “I don’t know if I have a place anywhere.”

“Of course you do,” Mr. Copper stated as he came to a halt, lifting the girl off his shoulders to help her get her feet on the ground.  “You’re going to prep school in Atlas and, even if there’s no place for faunus there yet, you are in a position where you can create that position for everyone here in Mantle to have a chance at their dreams.”

Mr. Copper ruffled her hair as she gave a giggle.  “And, if nothing else, you always have a place among your friends here.”

Ilia beamed the man a most brilliant smile.  “Thanks Mr. Copper.  You really are the best!”

He gave a light chuckle.  “You’re too kind.  Anyways, it looks like none of the workers have left the mine yet so we'll just have to wait here.”

“Say, Mr. Copper, do you ever wonder what it’s like working in the mines?”

The man gave a sigh as he took a seat.  “I hear enough about it to let me know that I much prefer working in shipping.”

“Oh,” Ilia stated as she looked towards the mines.  “I wonder why Daddy wouldn’t go to shipping then.”

“Meh, your dad’s a hopeless romantic,” the man answered as he pulled out an apple.  “Ever since he met your mom he’s done everything he could to give her as perfect a life as possible.  Only problem is that perfect lives weren’t made for the faunus.  And especially not the ones who are obviously so.”

Ilia hummed in thought, hearing the crunch of another apple bite as another question came to mind.  “Is it hard eating an apple when you’ve got snake fangs?”

Mr. Copper laughed as he messily wiped his mouth.  “It helps that, being snake fangs, they’re also retractable.  The difficult part was making sure I didn't open my mouth wide enough to lock them in place, but once I got the hang of it I don't even think about it.  Probably similar to your color shifting abilities, right?”

Ilia gave a slight shrug as she stared on towards the mine, not quite wanting to broach the topic of color changing since it was forbidden at school.  They sat in silence for a moment until, eventually, people began to file out, causing the young girl to bounce in anticipation as the workers rose out of the cavern.  Finally, a man with messy rust colored hair and a freckled face rose from the opening with a purple haired woman with chameleon horns and grey eyes.  The little girl ran ahead, leaving the man behind in her wake as she rushed towards the soot covered man.

“Daddy Daddy Daddy Daddy-”

She rushed into his arms as the man tossed her into the air, her giggles lighting up the mood of the mine workers.  She wrapped her arms tightly around her father’s neck as she snuggled closer to the familiar comfort.  “I missed you Daddy.”

“I missed you too Kiddo, it’s good to see you again.”

A strong hand ruffled her hair as the second arrival made herself known.  “Ilia, what are you doing here?  Why aren’t you at school?”

“Classes are out for the weekend Mommy.”

“I understand _that_ much,” the woman drawled as she rolled her eyes.  “You shouldn’t be coming back here Ilia.”

“But Mommy-!”

“Hey, Rune, it’s okay…”

Grey eyes turned to the deep brown color of Ilia’s father, the frustration seeming to drain slowly at the sight of the man.  She released a 'hmph' as she brushed some loose strands of hair past one of her chameleon horns.  “We’ll speak of this at home.”

She moved briskly past the two of them, giving Mr. Copper a curt greeting as she stormed off.  The snake faunus followed with his gaze as he scratched the back of his head before turning back to the duo.  “Lady troubles there Rusty.”

Rusty laughed as he walked up to his old friend.  “Come on Cobra, you know us better than that.”

A soft chuckle escaped the dark haired faunus as he slapped his friend on the shoulder.  “Yeah, maybe I _did_.  I haven’t seen you around recently.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Rusty groaned as he lowered the child to the ground.  “Don’t tell me you somehow haven’t been worked to the bone with ridiculous hours these days.”

“Are you kidding me?”  The man stated as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head.  “I don’t think there’s a faunus here who isn’t working longer hours than the sun shines.  Shipments into Atlas have tripled within the last month.”

“Yeah, why do you think they need so much dust?”

“You mean other than everything?”  Cobra scoffed as he shrugged his shoulders.  “If you ask me, Atlas probably got funding for a new project, and those always need more dust.”

“Yeah, I should’ve figured,” Rusty stated as he gave a sigh.  “It’s just getting more and more difficult getting to work these days.  People here were already overworked, but this is taking it too far.”

“Have you ever considered…” Cobra let the words drop, looking around to make sure no one was within hearing distance before raising an eyebrow to his friend.

“Cobra, I know you have… contacts… but, I mean, I can’t afford that.”  His gaze fell as his hands clenched slightly.  “And I can’t just leave Rune to be there alone.”

The man released a sigh before turning copper eyes to brown and grasping the other man’s shoulder.  “Yeah, I knew you’d say that.  Just promise me that you two will take care of yourselves out there.”

“Of course, Cobra,” Rusty affirmed as he turned to look towards his daughter.  “Anyways Ilia, we’d better get home so that we can get supper going.”

“Huh?  O-Okay!”

Her father ruffled her hair before taking her hand to lead her back to their place.  “You have a good evening Cobra, I hope we can have a proper meeting soon.”

“Bye Mr. Copper!”

The man let a soft smile scratch across his face as he offered a wave before he disappeared amongst the mounds of dirt and coal that surrounded the mine.  They trudged onwards, the brunette thinking back on her conversation with her father’s friend before turning back to her parental figure.  “Hey Daddy?”

“Yes Ilia?”

“Do you like working in the mines?”

The man gave an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.  “Well, it’s a lot of hard work, but I enjoy being there for the people I know.”

“Can you not be there with the people you know working in shipping?  I mean, Mr. Copper works in shipping, right?”

“H-He does,” her father shakily affirmed before he gave a sigh.  “But…”

“But it’s not where Mommy’s at.”

Her father gave a wistful smile as he shook his head.  “Yeah.  The mines are pretty rough, but they aren’t that bad when you’re with good company.”

“So why doesn’t Mommy work in shipping also?”

Her father turned and locked his gaze onto the pleading grey eyes of the girl he’d give the world for.  He offered a sigh as he kept his gaze locked on the ground.  “Your mother doesn’t want to work in shipping.”

“Really?  Why not?”

He scratched the back of his head as his gaze wandered.  “I mean, she says that people think those who work in shipping are pretentious and, well, she just doesn’t want people to think of her like that.”

Ilia hummed before kicking a pile of snow that was next to her.  “That’s stupid.”

“Yeah…” her father admitted, gaze going somewhere very far away.  “A lot of things in this world are.”

A pause settled between them as Ilia looked up towards her father, beginning to be worried that she wasn’t supposed to talk about those things.  She dropped her gaze to the side before feeling a light punch to her shoulder.

“Hey, I’ll race you back home.”

“Wha?” Ilia tried to question before her father dashed off in a jog, causing Ilia to blanch before giving chase through the neighborhood.  She trailed closely behind as her father paced himself to be just ahead, running around houses and past hills of dirt.  He cut a corner as Ilia attempted to follow, but ended up slipping as she skidded into a snow pile across the way.

“Ilia!”

She shook her head before laughing at her own antic.  “That was fun!  They don’t let us run around or play in the snow at school!”

Her father jogged over before chuckling and shaking his head.  “You’ve just got too much energy for this town, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”  Ilia asked as she tilted her head.  “School’s where I get yelled at for being too bouncey.  I mean, it happens less so because I know you want me to do well in school, but…”

Her father extended a hand as he pulled his daughter out of the snow.  “It’s okay Ilia.  I know you’re making us proud.”

“Of course!”  Ilia announced as she began to brush herself off.  “Anything for my number one dad!”

Her father laughed before shaking his head.  “You’re just buttering me up to get a piggy back ride aren’t you?”

“Yes please!”

He sighed before he knelt down so that she could get on his back.  “Okay, hop on.”

“Yaaaaay!”

“I’m gunna have to tell Cobra to stop giving you rides though.  You start expecting them from everyone.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”  Ilia asserted, poising herself to show her confidence in the statement before another thought came to mind.  “By the way, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“You know, I’m not sure.”  Her father admitted before taking a final turn.  “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

They stood towards the broken door, opening it as quickly and gingerly as he could without breaking it as he moved straight into the kitchen.  “Rune?”

“You certainly took your time getting home.”  The woman stated as she took a sip of the concoction she had brewing before her.

Rusty let his daughter go softly before rising again to walk next to her.  “How’s dinner coming?  Do you need me to grab anything?”

The mother released a deep sigh as her hand released its grip on the spoon.  “It’s fine, and I have everything I need for the stew.  Thank you though.”

He wrapped an arm around her as he kissed the top of her head.  “Of course honey.  It’s what I’m here for.”

Ilia looked on, feeling slightly lost and a bit out of place.  They always got this way when they were together, but Ilia was never sure how to be part of it.  Her thoughts immediately turned to her mother.  If she could find a way to get her mom to like her, they could act as a whole family, but she didn't know how to make that change.  Her gaze dropped before recognizing the ring on her finger and getting an idea.  “Momma, Momma!  Look what Clara gave me at school today!”

Grey eyes turned indifferently towards the girl as she moved to grab the bauble and inspected it.  “What is it?”

“It’s called a mood ring!”  Ilia announced as she beamed her most brilliant smile.  “They’re all the rage in Atlas.  Apparently, it has dust inside so that, when you wear it, it will change colors based on how you feel!”

The woman didn’t respond, eyes locked on the trinket as she turned it slowly in her hand.

Finally, she threw it across the floor.

“What a waste.”

Ilia cried as she chased after the ring as Rusty moved to question his wife’s antics

“Rune, what are you-?”

“We toil ourselves in those mines for fourteen to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week and _that_ is was they use the dust for?!”

The brunette retrieved the ring, looking it over for any scratches or marks as tears began to well in her eyes.  “Momma, I’m sick of you being so mean to me.  I hate you!”

“Ilia, wait!”

But the brunette ran off, ignoring her father as she ran to the room they all shared next to the front door as she cried.  She cradled the ring in her hands as the tears fell down her cheeks, her skin changing color in time to the glass on the ring, before she released a humorless chuckle.  This was the first time her skin and the ring agreed on what color an emotion was.

“She can’t come back here anymore!”

“Rune, this is completely unnecessary.’

Ilia tried to quiet down her sobs, listening in to what her parents were saying beyond the thin wall that separated them.

“You don’t need to be so harsh on her Rune.  She’s just a kid.”

“But she’s not just a kid.”  The woman defended as Ilia gave another sniffle.  “She’s a faunus who is going to an all human prep school.  That’s never been done before.”

“That’s no reason to treat her as such.”

“If she didn’t come around here then there would be no reason to, however your too nice to her so she keeps coming back.”

“Wait, you can’t seriously blame _me_ for this.”  Her father stated as Ilia noticed a rise in his voice.  “I’m just trying to be a good father for my child, you can’t act like there’s something wrong with that!”

“And what happens when someone finds out about her weekend visits to Mantle?”  Her mother asked as venom began to lace her tone.  “What happens when they find out you’re her father, that I'm her mother, that we work in the mines, that she’s a faunus?!”

“Rune-”

“I'M NOT GOING TO LET HER THROW AWAY HER FUTURE!!!”

The house went silent, even the small girl stopped her tears as she listened to what her mother had to say next.

“I can’t take her future away from her… not like I did you.”

“Rune, that wasn’t… it’s not like that.  I chose to come back to Mantle and raise a family here.”  The man stated soothingly while grey eyes watched as the ring in her hands changed to the color of her eyes, imagining her father holding her mother close to soothe her.

“I have the family I’ve always wanted Rune.  I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“But you deserve so much better.”

A short pause settled between them as Ilia listened desperately.

“Better’s not worth it if you can’t have better too.”

Ilia strained to hear her mother’s response, but she couldn’t hear anything.  She gave a soft sigh as she rose from her spot.  This whole ordeal left her confused and tired.  She wandered over to the small raggedy mattress that lay in the corner of the room for her as she wrapped the thin wool blanket around herself to cocoon as much warmth as possible before setting the mood ring next to her pillow.  She stared on at the swirling colors that were waiting for an emotion to detect or decode as it sat alone on one side of the mattress.  She wondered if she should try to sneak it back to her mother somehow to figure out how she felt.

“Ilia, dinner’s ready.”

The light creaked into the room as Ilia remained frozen, not daring to move from her spot.  She wasn’t hungry, and she was honestly too worn down to try to remedy things with her mother right away.  Her mother audibly sighed as the child clutched her blanket tighter, worried that her mother would admonish her for missing dinner.

“I’m sorry Ilia."

Grey eyes watched as the light shining against the wall slowly began to shrink, growing smaller until Ilia suddenly found herself fearing the loss of that light.  She rolled quickly as she tried to sit up and call for the woman.  “Mo-”

But the door was shut.  She exhaled deeply, regretting the mean things she’d said to her mother.  She just wished she knew more.  Why was her mother trying to push her away?  What was she worried would happen?

Ilia turned back to wrap herself in her covers as she stared on at the mood ring.  She would find out, she vowed.  She was going to do whatever it took to learn what she could about her parents.

And, hopefully, it would help her learn a little bit more about where she belonged.


	2. A Splash of Yellow

Grey eyes opened slowly, blinking out the sleep as well as the disorientation.  It was always an adjustment waking up to stare at the barren brown room with a single dresser looking grey from leaking snow warping the wood.  It made her feel more asleep than awake in a place so disfigured.

She pulled herself up as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, moving her hands to rub at her eyes as she suppressed the shiver that ran through her after leaving the relative warmth of her blanket.  She turned towards the large mattress that laid on the ground against the corner furthest from her.  She was never surprised when her parents weren't in bed when she woke up, but it never stopped the wave of melancholy that flowed over her at their absence.

Her eyes turned towards the next corner, a small pile of clothes bundled together waiting to be washed.  The brunette lifted herself up, stretching out the kinks in her body before grabbing as many of the clothes as she could carry.  They each only had three sets of shirts and pants, as well as undergarments, that were the same pairs of clothes that the brunette had seen her parents wear all her life.  She wasn’t sure where their clothes came from since she could never find them during the times her friends would take her to the shops in Atlas, nor did she understand why they had so few clothes compared to her friends, but she didn’t think too hard on it.  It simply meant she wouldn’t have to wash as many doing a favor for her parents.

She carried the clothes through the entryway towards the kitchen and took a sharp right turn upon entering, finding the water pump and the bucket that doubled as a bath and a washer.  She dropped the clothes in the large bucket as she pulled up a step stool so that she could reach for the pump.  She pushed down on it as hard as she could, refusing to relent as the loud creaks protested her efforts and the water slowly began to drip out until she finally managed to get the first pump out.  She lifted the lever which was a bit easier as she let the momentum carry the tune of the pumps until she finally had the bucket filled with water.  She jumped off the step stool and rushed to grab the first garment to wash before wincing as her arms dove into the water.  The water was always incredibly cold, not like the warm water of the showers at Altas, but she couldn’t let such a small detail deter her.

After all, she needed to show her parents how much she loved them in the small amount of time she was home.

She pulled out the clothes she grabbed, hands red from the intense cold she had subjected herself to before they were further abused by the pressure Ilia put on them as she scrubbed the garment against the washboard.  She continued to press on through numbing fingers until she felt that the cloth was as clean as could be, wringing it out to the best of her ability before taking it to the clothesline that hung next to the furnace.  She continued the process of washing each garment through the icy water and frozen fingers until every article of clothing her parents owned was now hanging in front of the furnace.  She rushed back over to the bucket, reaching in to pull the plug that rest on the bottom and then grabbing the step stool and carrying it over to the furnace.  She set the step stool beneath a familiar shelf before stepping up to reach for the object that _should_ be left there.

She supposed her parents must have run out of flame dust crystals.  They were pretty hard to come by in Mantle.

She put the step stool back next to the bucket as she ran past the kitchen back to her room where her backpack was.  She reached in and pulled out a dust crystal she had found in her school’s furnace room.  She knew she wasn’t supposed to go in there, but she couldn’t help it.  They had so many dust crystals and the school was _always_ so warm, surely they wouldn’t mind if she used one to help her parents out.

She rushed back to the furnace room before she found the spare firewood they kept and threw the dust crystal within.  The wood flared up from the impact of a miniature explosive before a healthy fire was born, granting warmth to the frostbitten fingers of the faunus who basked in the glory of a job well done.  She allowed the flame to warm her weary bones as she stretched her limbs out to give every inch of her the chance to wash out the cold, but she couldn’t stay there forever.

After all, she had planned to figure out what her parents really wanted of her.

She took a final breath into her hands to further warm them by the fire before rushing out and running through the snow towards the train station.  Unfortunately, the train station was quite a ways from her house since all the miners lived by the mines.  Of course, it was convenient for her parents that that was the case since it meant they’d have to walk less, but it also meant that they didn’t see Mr. Copper that often since all the faunus who worked in docking lived by the train and harbor.  Then again, she lived at her school when it was in session, so she figured that maybe the world just gave everyone a place to live by where they were supposed to be.

She gave another shudder.  It always felt so much warmer when she had her school blazer and leggings on, she didn’t realize just how much those helped until she had to go without in Mantle.  She continued to walk forward, snow soaking into her long slacks as the cold began to crawl up her legs.  Her teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms around her, wishing for Mr. Copper, or her father, or someone to help distract her from how cold Mantle was.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the house pet.”

Grey eyes snapped back towards the voice that was to her left, between the houses was the navy haired cricket faunus who was standing with a serious look on his face.  “I don’t get why you keep coming back here, but I swear you’re gunna regret it.”

“Oh yeah!”  The brunette challenged as she gave a glare.  “What’re you going to do?!”

“It’s not what I’m going to-”

“Hey!”   A loud booming voice interrupted him as a violent crack was heard from a baton being threateningly swung into an empty palm.  “Did I tell you that you could stop?!”

“N-No ma’am,”

“Then get a move on you stupid animal!”  The voice berated as the baton shoved him back towards the giant cart, the boy stumbled before getting back in position to push it down the path.  “We’ve got a lot of dust we need to transport to Atlas and I’m not staying late because a mutt like you wasn’t properly house trained!”

The boy gritted his teeth as he continued to push, slowly jolting the cart forward as they continued down the path, leaving Ilia in a state of mild confusion until she noticed the human's gaze turning towards her.  Instinctively, she dove into the snow and turned completely white, watching as the human’s gaze panned the area before eventually turning their attention back to the cricket faunus, leaving the brunette even more bewildered.

Why was there a human in Mantle?

She shook her head as she continued to walk towards her destination.  She always ended up filled with too many questions and exhausted by too few answers, but there was someone who would always answer any questions she had, though she didn’t always understand the answers he gave.  She continued to march forward until she finally smelled the combination of ocean and steel.

She had made it to the docks.

To the right was the harbor, where those who worked in docking exported dust onto the ships to other kingdoms while before her was the train where those in docking exported dust into the kingdom of Atlas.

They never took imports though, according to Mr. Copper, if Atlas were to receive anything important, they’d get it imported from an airship.

She asked why Mantle didn’t have an airship dock and he just said it was because they didn’t need airships to send stuff out.  Of course, Ilia wasn’t sure if they’d need a train or a boat if they had an airship, but he just responded that they already had those two facilities set up before airships became a thing.

It was pretty disappointing to Ilia, she really wanted to see an airship up close.

A rumbling sound came from behind her as she turned around to find the cart that was being pushed by the navy-haired boy rolling down the path and taking the turn that would lead it towards the harbor.  She followed it with her eyes as she remained in place.  She _really_ didn’t want to draw his attention to her again, especially with the human following him around.

She watched as they took the cart down the ramp that led to the warehouse that acted as the packaging area for both the harbor and the train station.  Curiosity guided her towards the building, she had never entered it before but had seen it for most of her life.  She sloshed through the snow, stumbling forward slightly as she tried to rush without slipping on the slick surface.  She moved towards the building from the docks as she walked down the boardwalk and stood on her tip-toes to watch as the young boy pushed the cart onto a conveyor belt that led to another place in the building she couldn’t see.  The woman seemed to be shouting at the boy again before pointing at an empty crate on the other side of the building.  They walked slowly towards it before the cricket faunus pushed it out of its resting position and moved it outside of the building, back onto the path that they had just arrived from until-

“EEE-!”

A large hand covered her mouth as she was picked up from the back of the collar.

“Ilia, what are you doing here?!”

Grey eyes widened as the brunette moved the hand from in front of her mouth.  “Oh, Mr. Copper, I was just looking-”

“SHHHH”  The man hushed loudly as he looked around the docks, finding people who were too busy in their own affairs to notice the two of them.  “Never mind that, you need to get home.”

“But I came all this way!”

“Then hide!”  The man whispered harshly as he put her back down.  "You can't be out in the open like this!”

“Mr. Copper, why are there so many humans here?”

“I’ll tell you later,” he whispered softly, eyes constantly moving to see if anyone noticed them.  “But they can’t find you here, it could get you and your parents in major trouble, so hide under the stairs and I’ll signal you when it’s safe, okay?”

Ilia nodded as a man walked to approach them.  She hurried under the stairs next to the building she was looking into, camouflaging with the shadows to keep from getting noticed as the human approached Mr. Copper seeming to question him.  The snake faunus answered and was met with a baton attack in response, but the faunus caught the attack.  More words were said before the man tore the baton out of the Mr. Copper's grip and pushed him towards the ships causing him to be out of eyesight from where Ilia remained hidden.  She wasn’t planning on sitting under the stairs at the docks, but, then again, she had never visited Mr. Copper during work hours either.  Usually, when they met, it was always right after she had gotten off the train, and work was pretty close to done at that point.

Of course, if this was work, she was growing more and more thankful that she didn’t have to take part in it.

She tried to pay attention and watch everyone at work, what they were doing, how the humans were reacting, but it all seemed so tiring.  A yawn escaped her as she shivered, huddling within herself to try to keep warm until she noticed a thick tarp nearby.  She dragged the tarp beneath the stairs and wrapped herself within it as she tried to wait out the day until Mr. Copper would be free to talk.  The tarp was so cozy, a lot heavier than her blanket at home, though not as soft as the blanket at school.  She couldn’t help but just close her eyes.

Just for a moment.

…

“Ilia?”

…

“Hey, c’mon kiddo, this isn’t the place for sleeping.”

“Wuh?”

“C’mon,” the man stated as he reached a hand out.  “We’re done with shipments for the day.  All the humans left.”

“Mmmm,” the girl hummed as she stretched as much as she could under the boards while she rubbed her eyes.  “What were humans here for?”

“Meh, quotas.”

“What’s a ‘kota?’”

Mr. Copper let a smirk cross his face as he shook his head.  “A quota is a human’s word for not getting enough work done.”

“Like when I don’t finish my work before the bell rings?”

Ilia slowly crawled out from her hiding place as she stumbled into his arms.  “Something like that.”

She let a soft groan escape her as she settled closer to the man’s chest.  “Mr. Copper, why was the navy-haired boy pushing the cart?”

Mr. Copper tilted his head.  “Navy-haired boy?”

“Yeah, the one who was making fun of me yesterday with his friend," Ilia mumbled as her head lolled to one side.  “He was pushing a cart, but he didn’t look much older than me.”

“Everyone works on Mantle kid.” The man stated as he carried her through a set of side streets.  “Which is why you need to stay out of sight when you’re here.”

“They tried to hit you.”

Mr. Copper gave a sigh as he shook his head.  “Mantle’s not technically considered part of the kingdom of Atlas, so a lot of humans believe that there are no laws to regulate the treatment of anyone who lives here.”

"Oh," Ilia answered as her voice drifted slightly.  “I thought it might've been because you’re a faunus?”

The snake faunus let the girl down as he opened the door to his own house.  “It’s because I’m a faunus I live here.”

Ilia looked up at the man before her gaze averted as she thought back to the conversation she’d had with her friends.  She stayed standing in the doorway as Mr. Copper made himself at home.  "So, what brought you to the docks anyway?"

She shook her head before following, the house looking identical to her own with the barren entry room housing only a dining room table and a few chairs.  She knew that the room to the left was the bedroom while the back led to the kitchen and wash area since all the houses were built in the same way.  The only difference was where the water pales were placed to catch the leaking snow water.  She stepped towards the table before releasing a sigh, "Mommy doesn't want me coming here anymore."

The man motioned for the Ilia to take a seat while he left for the kitchen, coming back with some stale bread for them to snack on.  “Well, you know what they say, mother knows best.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to see you or Daddy anymore!”  The brunette fretted as she took the chunk of bread into her hands, staring at it for a moment and comparing the watered down color to the bright and lively color of the bread they had at school.  “Why doesn’t she want me to visit you?  Why doesn’t she want me to visit _her?_ ”

“It’s not that she doesn’t want you to be with your loved ones anymore.” Mr. Copper stated as he bit into the bread loaf and tore a chunk of to eat.  “It’s that she doesn’t want you to end up stuck where you’re loved ones happen to be.”

“Is she the reason Daddy’s stuck here?”

The air went silent as the snake faunus leaned forward in his seat, copper eyes narrowing dangerously.  “Who told you that?”

Grey eyes slowly rose to meet the intense copper.  “She told Daddy that.  I just happened to overhear.”

Mr. Copper gave a sigh as he shook his head.  “You know, your mom’s not gunna be too pleased when she learns you know as much as you do.”

“But I don’t know anything!”  The girl lamented as she flailed in her chair.  “Why does Mommy believe she took everything away from Daddy?”

“Because,” the man began as a soft chuckle escaped him.  “A long time ago, your father and I went to school in Atlas.”

“Really?!”  Ilia exclaimed as she nearly fell out of her chair in shock.  “I thought that faunus didn’t go to school in Atlas though.”

“You’re right, faunus don’t,” Mr. Copper stated evenly as he took another bite of his bread.  “But you know what your father’s faunus trait is, right?”

“Yeah!  He’s got a chameleon tongue!”  The girl shouted excitedly as she giggled at the notion.  “I never beat him in a tongue sticking contest.”

“Yeah, well that trait helped him in more ways than just being unbeatable at children’s games,” the man stated as he leaned forward in his seat.  “Most people couldn’t tell what his faunus trait was on sight so most people assumed he was human.  A lot like you.”

“And you?”

“You see,” Mr. Copper pointed with his bread holding hand.  “You’re catching on.  Of course, we weren’t interested in just _any_ school in Atlas, we wanted to be part of the _best_ school in Atlas, so we joined the combat school as soon as we were old enough.”

“Hey, I know about that!”  The brunette announced cheerily.  “That’s the school that General Ironwood runs, right?”

“Yes, most other kingdoms have separate schools where if you graduate from the elementary level school you move on to the advanced and then take on different positions as a huntsman or huntress,” the man illustrated, setting the bread aside to try to illustrate the point with his hands.  “However, the school in Atlas is all merged into one that leads right up to military enrollment.”

“So, you and Daddy were part of the army?”

“More or less,” the man stated as he leaned back in his chair.  “Your father actually met your mom before he could graduate up to the military level and he left to be with her.”

“What about you?”

Copper orbs turned to the innocent grey eyes before lowering again, the shame weighing heavy as he shook his head.  “I told your father he was a fool.  We were only a few months away from finally getting to the action, from finally becoming heroes and saving the world.”

“Save the world from what?”

“I don’t even know kid,” Mr. Copper stated with a light chuckle.  “We went to a combat school though, so everyone believed there’d be someone out there trying to muck things up just so that people would have the opportunity to be heroes.  All the history we know is basically the tales of heroes.”

“But you’re not still part of the army, are you?”

The man dropped his chair to the floor as he stared down at the table.  “No kid.  If I was still part of the army I wouldn’t be here in Mantle.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Because I began to wonder if I was actually making a difference,” Mr. Copper stated, bread long forgotten on the table.  “I would always come back to try to tell your father that he needed to come back, that we could still save the world and make a difference, but he refused to budge.  He remained here in Mantle, right next to your mother’s side and asked me ‘how I could claim to be a hero when I left my own people to suffer so much.’”

The man let a humorless chuckle escape him as he shook his head.  “I told him that he was the one abandoning our people.  That he was running from the opportunity he was given and that we could’ve changed things for everyone.  I didn’t talk to him for a long while after that, but I slowly began to see his point.  No matter how many Grimm I cut down, Mantle didn’t become any nicer and Atlas didn’t become any fairer.  I went back to apologize to him…”

A pause settled as Ilia waited for the man to continue the story.  He gazed at her warily before his voice wafted through the air.  “Rune was pregnant with you the next time I saw him.”

“Really?!  How long were you not talking to my father?”

“About a year or two,” Mr. Copper answered as he tore a chunk of his bread and threw it in the air to catch in his mouth.  “Honestly, I don’t remember.  I just remember Rusty looking starved to the bone and Rune not much better.  She couldn’t work in the mine being pregnant which meant they missed out on half of their monthly wages.  Your father was frantic, trying to figure out a way to take care of the both of you.  So I began sharing my military wages to help your family out.  It felt like the only thing I ever did to actually help someone out during my time in the Atlesian Military.”

The brunette let an ‘oh’ drop as she looked down at her uneaten lump of bread.  “I still don’t get why my mother doesn’t want me coming here though.”

“It’s because she doesn’t want this life for you,” the man stated pointedly as his demeanor turned serious.  “Once you’re stuck here, there’s no way out, but you have an out.  You live in Atlas!  Every faunus _dreams_ of being able to go to school and live in Atlas.  Your mother believes that she robbed your father of that dream.”

“Then why didn’t Mommy go to the combat school too?”  Ilia asked as she turned grey eyes towards the snake faunus.  “We all could’ve been a family in Atlas.”

“She didn’t get the opportunity,” Mr. Copper said evenly before turning his gaze towards the girl.  “But you do.  You’re the only one of us left who can possibly make a life in Atlas.  All you have to do, is pretend you're not a faunus.”

“But how can I pretend to not be something that I am?”

The man chuckled slightly as he leaned back in his seat.  “Well, what’s easy is all humans believe that all faunus live in Mantle.  So long as you act like you belong no one will think otherwise.”

The brunette hummed in thought as her eyes went back to her uneaten bread.  “Did you and Daddy have to pretend to be human in order to go to combat school?”

“Well-”

A loud knock on the door interrupted the conversation as the pounding frantically continued.  “Cobra, you there!  We have an emergency!”

“Rune, you can come in.  You know the door’s open.”

“Cobra!”  The woman shouted as she burst through the doors before seeing the brunette seated at the table and rushing over.  “Ilia-”

“Momma!” the girl shouted as she jumped out of her seat.  “I’m so sorry!  I know I’m not supposed to leave the house!  Please don’t be mad at me!”

Her mother rushed towards the girl to wrap her arms around her, crushing her slightly as the brunette mumbled in confusion.  “Momma?”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” her mother whispered into the girl’s ear.  “I was scared they’d found you.”

“Who?”

Grey eyes widened as her mother rushed out of the embrace quickly.  “Hm?  Oh, nothing, I’m just rambling to myself," she stated a little too quickly as she cupped her daughter's face.  “I’m just glad your safe.”

“Of course I am,” Ilia answered innocently.  “I was with Mr. Copper the entire time.”

“But-”

“I had it covered Rune,” the man stated in the soft suave voice of his.  “You should have more faith in your friends you know.”

Grey eyes narrowed as another familiar face barreled in.  “Ru- Oh my gosh Ilia!”

The mop headed man rushed in as he hugged the young girl tightly.  “Oh Ilia, I’m so glad your safe.”

“Of course Daddy,” Ilia stated as she slowly returned the embrace.  “I’ve just been here with Mr. Copper.”

Her father gave a relieved sigh as he hugged the girl closer.  “Thank goodness…” he repeated under his breath “Thank goodness.”

Ilia hugged a little tighter, knowing the thought tugging at her mind would haunt her until she voiced it.  “Daddy?”

“Yes Ilia?”

She released herself from the embrace to better look her father in his brown eyes.  “I can’t stay here father.”

Her father’s face fell as he let the words sink into his mind.  “Ilia?”

“I can’t be coming back here.”  She turned towards her mother, understanding shining in her eyes.  “But I don’t want to leave everyone behind.  I’ll miss everyone.”

Her mother let a soft smile cross her face as she walked towards the girl and cupping her cheeks.  “Sometimes the right decision is the one that hurts the most.”

Soft tears began to spring from grey eyes until a strong hand ruffled her hair.  “And it’s not like you’ll be without us forever.  We’ll always be here for whenever you need us.”

Soft tears spilled over Ilia’s cheeks as a smile spread over her face.  She hated the idea of leaving her family, but she was so grateful that here, in this moment, she could have her family with her.  That they'd do everything to grant her the opportunity to go to Atlas despite not having the chance to go to the city with her.  She was determined to change that.  She would find a way to bring her family out of Mantle to the city of dreams.

The thought made her turn yellow as she began planning the dream home she'd get for her family.  It had to be possible!  If she could go to school in Atlas then there should be a way for her parents to live in Atlas.  She just needed to work hard and follow the rules.

And then, eventually, she wouldn't have to visit Mantle to visit her family.  They'd all have their own place in the city of dreams.


	3. An Eruption of Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Colldescope is back! I just wanted to take the time to thank you all for reading this fic! Also, this fic has already had instances of racism, though it begins to get violent in this chapter so please use your discretion when reading further in this fic, this chapter is a bit shorter but that doesn't mean it's any less brutal. Anyways, thanks again for all the support, please read, kudos and, most importantly, enjoy =)

 “Atlas.  Mistral.  Vacuo.  Vale.  If one were to look at the map currently, it would say that those are the four kingdoms that exist in this world, however, less than a century ago the map would’ve spoken very differently.”

The grey haired man brushed back a strand of hair as he slapped his pointer against the large portrait of their world that hung in the front of the class, circling the regions that were being discussed.  “Vale, Vacuo and Mistral are kingdoms that were established long before recorded history, however Atlas was a recent development.  Of course, there was a city that was capitol of the kingdom that existed nearby long before this city came into existence.  Does anyone know where that would be?”

The blonde girl sitting front and center raised her hand emphatically as the man chuckled slightly.  “Yes, Ms. Caelum.  What is it?”

“That would be the city of Mantle.”

“Correct!”  The man cheered as he circled the building illustration just southwest of the glowing kingdom their school resided in.  “Mantle was founded long before any other settlements were established on Solitas.  There they made significant discoveries in creating an establishment that would lead to the birth of our glorious kingdom.  Ilia!”

“Huh?”  The girl to attention at the sound of her name as she straightened in her seat.  “Y-Yes sir?”

“Finally deciding to join us, are you?”  The man responded sarcastically as he leaned in closer.  “Well, since I have your attention now, would you mind telling me of the importance Mantle has on our current day city?”

“Um… I don’t know…” Ilia mumbled to herself as she squirmed in her seat before answering back.  “I mean, how could a faunus driven rats’ nest like Mantle ever be important?”

Soft laughter broke across the classroom as the man gave a sharp glare across the space to silence the students before turning back to the girl before him.  “I understand that it may seem difficult to believe how important Mantle is to our economy given the nature of the citizens that reside there currently, however, that is no excuse for you to be daydreaming during my lectures.  Do you understand Ms. Amitola?”

Grey eyes averted as Ilia pushed further into her seat.  “Yes sir.”

“Thank you.  Now, let me rephrase it this way, does anyone else have an idea as to what Mantle discovered that allowed us to colonize Solitas?”

“Dust!”

“Right you are!”  The man answered as he turned to the white board beside his map.  “You see, Mantle is where all mining on Solitas began, which is where dust on this continent was originally discovered, and even though Mantle has been mining since the start of Solitas colonization, this city still produces over eighty percent of all dust imported into Atlas.  This has lead to the belief that, unlike other minerals, dust has regenerative properties, which means that Mantle may be the primary source for dust in Atlas for as long as this kingdom exists.”

The sound of the bell ringing crashed into the classroom as all the students hurriedly grabbed their belongings to run out the door to lunch.

“Now remember students!  We still have the report on the Atlas expansion due in a week!  Make sure your studying your notes from the lectures for they will be vital to the project!"

Grey eyes rolled in response to the man's hollering.  Honestly, Ilia couldn't care less about future assignments as she was much too busy trying to find-

“Clara!”

Familiar blue eyes followed the voice to the brunette as a soft smile and a shaking head greeted the young girl.  “Ilia, you really are a riot, aren’t you?”

“If that’s what you call that then I guess.”  Ilia answered awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head.  “Honestly, I thought I was just saying the truth.”

A soft giggle escaped Clara that she tried to hide behind a dainty hand before she released a sigh.  “As fun as your quips are Ilia, you really should be more careful.  Disrupting class like that too often could start to hurt your grade, and if you want to survive in the grown-up world you have to always be at your absolute best.”

“Right!”  Ilia stated as she straightened her posture instinctively.  “Anyways, should we head to the cafeteria.”

“Yes and we better hurry to,” Clara added with a sigh.  “Otherwise, someone might take our spot.”

They navigated the hallways, pushing past students as they chatted along the way.  “I must say Ilia, you’ve certainly grown bolder in voicing your opinion recently.  You were a bit quieter not so long ago.”

“Really?”  Ilia asked, tilting her head as her eyes lifted to the ceiling.  “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, I have,” Clara retorted as she shook her head.  “You would’ve never made comments about the faunus like that before.  It was as if you were worried that saying something would bring one out to haunt you.”

“Oh,” Ilia whispered softly.  Weeks had gone by since that day in Mr. Copper’s house and time had made faunus issues seem so… _distant_.  As if those issues didn’t relate to her anymore.

_All you have to do, is pretend you’re not a faunus._

“I guess I just started thinking about it differently.”

They entered the cafeteria as their eyes locked on their usual spot to find their familiar trio of friends guarding their table from unfamiliars as trusted friends should.  They approached the table, Clara making it a point to announce her arrival, “Hello girls, been waiting long?”

“Yeah, like, forever!”  The green-haired girl exclaimed as Malan rolled her eyes.

"We _have_ been waiting the whole three minutes since lunch started.”

“Yeah, so forever!”

“As you probably figured out, we haven’t been waiting long at all.”  The third girl informed sweetly as the two took their seats.  “How have classes been?”

“The usual,” Clara drawled in answer to Baile's as she rolled her eyes before sitting down.  “History is such a pain.  It’s a good thing Ilia’s there.  She said the most hilarious thing today.”

“Really?!”  The greenette immediately interrupted as she nudged Baile over to get in on the gossip.  “Ilia, what’d you say?!”

Grey eyes rolled as her bronze-haired friend grimaced at the Phelma’s typical behavior.  “I just said that I didn’t think a faunus rat’s nest like Mantle could ever be important.”

Laughter erupted from the friend group as the Phelma pounded the table.  “Oh man!  That was good!”

“Phelma, don’t pound on the table like that!  It’s undignified!”

“Did you just look that word up in the dictionary Clara?”

“Just ignore her Clara.  She’s not worth the hassle.”

“But Malan!”

“So Baile, how have classes been for you?”

“They’ve been fine.  I appreciate you asking Ilia.”

Ilia offered a full grin as she returned the appreciation.  Her friends all together, laughing, bickering and gossiping.  This was always her favorite moment of the day where her life just seemed to be completed by having her closest friends gather together for a short time.

She couldn’t think of anything that could possibly ruin this moment.

“PLEASE PARDON THIS INTERRUPTION, THERE HAS BEEN A SITUATION THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO INFORM YOU OF IMMEDIATELY.”

The five heads instinctively rose towards the ceiling speaker that the voice had come from, curious as to what would cause an announcement during lunch break.

“WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED WORD THAT THERE WAS A CAVE-IN AT THE DUST MINES IN MANTLE.”  The speaker droned on, causing murmurs to rise around the cafeteria as Ilia remained frozen in place.  “INFORMANTS HAVE REPORTED THAT A FAUNUS CARRYING AGITATED DUST TRIPPED WHICH ALLOWED THE DUST TO CAUSE A CHAIN REACTION THAT HAS SHUT DOWN THE MANTLE MINES.”

Smirks and snickers spread across the table Ilia sat while her heart seemed to stop.

“THE SCHNEE DUST COMPANY HAS ASSURED US THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM HASTILY, HOWEVER, WE WILL NEED TO BEGIN CONSERVING ENERGY WITHIN THE BUILDING UNTIL THE MATTER IS RESOLVED.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND HAVE A WONDERFUL REST OF YOUR DAY.”

“What a waste,” Phelma mumbled as she rested her head in her palm.  “I was hoping something exciting had happened.

“I hope they get the mine’s back together soon,” Baile fretted as she shook her head.  “Atlas uses a lot of energy.  My parents are always telling me to be careful and conserve dust in case of such an event.”

“Does this mean all our classes are gunna be in the dark?”  Malan asked.  “Because that would be pretty cool.”

“Ugh, of course a faunus would be clumsy enough to blow up the mines!”  Clara complained as her cheeks puffed up.  “It’s so like them to blow themselves up to make life harder for the rest of us.  They should consider themselves lucky to even have a job, right Ilia?”

Ilia didn’t respond, instead staring straight down at the table as her eyes remained locked open.  “Mom… Dad…”

“Ilia, what’s-”

AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH

Clara screamed as the other girls rose from their seats to scoot away from the mumbling child, creating a scene that other students peaked at curiously.  Panic ensued as students began screaming and running out from their tables, some to escape the drama while others ran towards it where in the center of all the chaos was a little girl, turning a deeper and darker shade of blue as the sobs overtook her body.

“Mom… Dad…”

The students began to whisper questions to each other.  Why was the girl turning blue?  What had caused her sudden outbreak?

Was she a faunus?

“Ilia…”

Grey turned navy blue turned towards the soft voice to see her best friend standing a few feet away with tears threatening to break free from sky blue eyes.  “You lied to me…”

“Clara, I-”

“SHUT UP!!!”  Clara screeched as she took step back.  “I DON’T WANNA HEAR ANYMORE OF YOUR LIES YOU FREAK!!!!!”

“What’s going on here?!”  An adult voice in the shouted.

“GET THIS FREAK OUT OF HERE!!!”  Clara shouted again as the blue girl rose from her seat, causing the other to take another step back.

“Clara, please-!”

“No- Do- Stay away from me!”  The blonde screamed as she turned to run with Ilia giving chase.

“But Clara!”

“I said stay away!”

“Please wai-!”

The faunus began to fall, tripped by one of the bystanders as she was reaching out for her best friend.  Her hand instinctively grabbed the ankle that was by her, causing the other girl to fall as her face hit the edge of a cafeteria table.  Clara began to wail.

“MY MOUFF!!!”  Clara shouted in a muffled tone as her hands began to run with the blood that was flowing between her fingers, the other three from their lunch table coming to aid and console the blonde.  “SHE HURD MY MOUFF!!!!!”

“Clara, I’m so-!”

“SHUDDUP!!!”  Clara howled, keeping her hands over her mouth as the others tried to calm her down.  “I HADE YOU, ILIA!!! I HADE YOU!!!”

“Clara, please!”

“Just leave her alone!”  Phelma shouted, rising from the group as an officer broke through the crowd.

“What happened here?!”

“Take her away!”  Baile shouted, pointing at Ilia.  “She’s a faunus!  She doesn’t belong here, and she hurt Clara!”

“But I didn’t mean-!”

“That’s enough!  You’re coming with me!”

“But I’m sorr-!”

“Oh shut it,” Malan stated as she gave a pointed glare.  “Why don’t you make yourself useful and get blown-up in a dust mine or something.”

“Malan, please…”

“Let’s go!”

“No, wait!”  Ilia shouted as the officer dragged her by the collar, flailing her arms to try to escape.  “Please!  I’m sorry!  Just…”

She struggled with her buttons before she slid out of her blazer to run towards her friends.

“I’m sorry!  Please don’t hate me-!”

WHAP

The girl fell to the ground as she clutched the back of her head the man standing over her as he leaned down to whack her on the left side of her ribs, and another blow towards her shoulder, as the pain from the blows intensified with the repeated abuse and her ears burned from the cheers and taunts of all the people surrounding her.  The people she had considered her classmates.  The people she had considered her _friends_.

There was a final kick to her gut before she felt herself being dragged by the hair as she willed her sore arms to try to fight off the abuse while the students began to throw food and trash at her.  The onslaught continued once she passed the cafeteria as the students followed down the halls to continue their taunts and spit at her while she tried futilely to break out of the officer’s hold.  She continued to struggle and flail until the officer finally threw her across the icy pavement, shouting at her to never come back.

A final cheer erupted from the school as the officer walked back inside while Ilia struggled to get to her feet.  She stumbled and slid back towards the door as a clenched fist knocked against it while she pleaded, “Please, let me back in… my parents… their dream…”

She sobbed again as her head shook against the door.  She had to go back for her parents.  She had to get an education so that she could get a good job in Atlas.

She had to find a way to make their dream come true.

She steadily rose back to her feet, determination setting in as she wiped her eyes and the blue began to fade from her skin.

She had to get her parents out of the mine.

She began to rush down the street, stumbling and hobbling from the beating but undeterred by her bodies protests.  It didn’t matter how many blows or how many beatings the humans gave her.

There was no force on Remnant that was going to keep her from her parents.

She snuck onto the familiar train and hurriedly took a seat, hissing as her body seemed to fall apart at the contraction.  She knew for sure she was hurt, but she didn’t know how badly.

She was just going to have to save that concern for later.

Instead her head was filled with concern for her parents.  Where in the mine were they?  How was she going to find them?  How would she get them out of the mine if they were hurt?

She looked out the window, light bruises formed across her face from the baton hits she couldn’t block while her hair was haggard and matted from blood that arose from the back of her head.  Blackness occasionally called for her to grant her reprieve, but she couldn’t accept that offer yet.

She was going to save her parents no matter what.

The train unloaded as she slowly lifted herself up, stumbling forward before grabbing her side again as she hobbled hurriedly out.  She sloshed through the streets as she noticed the town was eerily quiet while she walked past.  There was hardly a soul to be seen as she continued her journey, but she refused to be distracted by such things.

Her parents had to still be out there.

She just had to get to the mine entrance.

“You!  What are you doing here?!”

Powder blue eyes snapped to the faceless soldier as she continued to clutch her side.  “I’m going into the mines.”

“This area is off-limits due to the explosion!”  The man announced gruffly.  “Go on home!”

“I’m not going home without my parents.”  Ilia stated evenly as she continued her onward trek.  “I will save them.  I… I’ll-”

The man stood in her path as he held his baton in front of him.  “Kid, you can’t even walk right, just go home!”

Her eyes drifted up, a determined scowl never leaving her face as her eyes stared down the blank visor that made the officer seem more machine than man.

“No.”

WHACK

The man slammed his baton against the side of Ilia’s head as she spun from the impact to fall on her front.  The girl groaned, clenching her teeth as she forced herself up, determined to stand and force her way into the mine.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you kid?”

“I’m not… leaving… without… my parents…”

“Then you’re not leaving at all,” the man stated evenly as he put his baton away.  “Everyone in there is dead.”

“YOU’RE LYING!!!”

The girl stumbled to rush forward as the man stepped to the side, allowing Ilia to fall from her own momentum before picking her up by the back of her shirt.  “Listen girlie, our job is to dig up the mines again and you’re getting in our way, so get lost before I beat you even more senseless than you already are.”

He threw her across the gravel path she traveled, face getting scratched up from the contact as the tears returned to her eyes and blue began to swell on her skin.  “Damn… you…”  She rose slowly as she turned her gaze back to the man.  “I’m… saving… my parents!”

“And where do you plan to go once you save them?” the man asked as he shook his head.  “There are officers returning the property of the dead miners to the Schnee Dust Company so that they can use them as housing for replacement mine workers.”

Ilia grimaced at the pain as she struggled to keep her eyes sharp against the man.  “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means that, by the end of today, you won't have a house anymore.”  The man taunted with the slightest signs of a smirk threatening to stretch across his face causing the brunette to shiver with rage.

“You’re lying!”  Ilia shouted, wincing as the pain in her ribs seemed to throb.  “You can’t just take someone's home away!”

“If you don’t believe me,” the man stated smugly as the smirk grew.  “Why don’t you go and see for yourself.”

Her fists clenched watching the grin transform into a laugh as she stumbled down the path home, tears streaming down her face as she hurriedly walked through the mining district.  Humans were swarming the place as they moved items and artifacts out of all the surrounding abodes.  Her gaze watched them all warily before she honed in on a human woman standing at the doorstep to her house, barking commands to the other officers.

“What are you doing here?!”  Ilia shouted as she stumbled forward.  “What are you doing to my house?!”

Brown eyes turned casually before returning to the scene within the house, continuing to give commands as the faunus girl rushed to stumble forward.  “Hey!  Didn’t you hear me?!  I said-!”

“Get lost pest,” the sharp tone of the woman commanded as she turned her eyes to shoot daggers at the girl.  “There’s nothing for you here.”

“Of course, there’s something for me here!”  Ilia shouted as she finally reached the doorway.  “This is my house!”

“Not anymore,” the woman stated apathetically.  “This property, as well as all materials within, have been reinstated to the Schnee Dust Company until further notice.”

“But you can’t do that!”

“This is the house of Rusty and Rune Amitola, correct?”

Ilia paused, hearing the names of her parents spoken aloud caused a slight shiver to roll down her spine.  “Y-Yeah.  Those are my parents.”

“Well they signed this deed that stated that this house shall remain in their possession so long as at least one of the two designated employees is able to work in the mines.”  Brown eyes scoured over the document before turning towards the beaten girl as she folded the deed back into her pocket.  “Whether or not you lived here is irrelevant for neither of them can work in the mines, meaning this contract is void.”

“You don’t know that!”  Ilia shouted.  “My parents could still be out there!”

“If, by some miracle, your parents did survive, they would be in no condition to work and this house would be needed to house the replacements to ensure Atlas the necessary dust supply in order to keep the kingdom running.  They can ask for a new housing contract once they are able to work, though I doubt any of us will have to worry about that.”

“NO!”  Ilia shouted as she tried to charge into the house before being grabbed by the back of the collar by the woman.  “You can’t have my house!  This belongs to my parents!”

“This is why I hate kids,” the woman groaned before she tossed the child against the wall of the neighboring house.  Ilia struggled to get up as a snow bank fell on her, causing a snicker to rise from the woman before a soldier arrived.  “Ma’am, this house is cleared.”

“Finally,” the woman groaned as she rolled her eyes.  “Come on men, let’s wrap this up!”

Ilia flailed, trying to dig herself out of the snow as she watched the woman and soldiers walk down the path to find another home to raid.  She stumbled forward, rushing towards the familiar house before noticing the chain and padlock that covered the door.

“No…” she breathed as she began to rattle the chains and pound against the door.  “No! No! NO!”

She fell to her knees as her fists balled to continue pounding against the door.  She takes it back.  She takes it all back!  Faunus weren’t dirty, or liars, or thieves.  Faunus did deserve way better than the treatment they were given.  A faunus nest like Mantle _is_  important.

After all, Mantle is where her parents lived.

They couldn’t be dead yet.  She was going to bring them all to Atlas somehow, get them a house there.

Help them claim their happily ever after.

The tears ran freely as the blue overwhelmed her skin and she held her knees together to sob into them.  Her cries seemed to echo with the wintry wind as her head began to fill with regrets.  She should've ignored her mother's pleas for her to stay in Atlas.  She should've lived with her parents in Mantle.

She should've taken a job at the mines.

At least, that way, they would've all been together, just like father wanted.

Another sob wracked her body as the thoughts became overwhelmed by despair and her skin was overcome with blue, mourning the loss of her everything in front of the home she could never return to.


	4. A Dash of Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I know this is the moment everyone's waited for when I actually add main characters from Canon to the character tags XD. Regardless, Happy New Year, new month and new chapter of Collidescope! I appreciate all the support I've gotten from this fic thus far and hope that everyone has enjoyed the story thus far. Please feel free to comment and kudos but, most of all, please enjoy the read!

It was empty.

Empty walls.  Empty room.  Empty houses.  Empty streets.

Her life was empty now.

“Ilia…”

A pause settled over them as the scene remained unchanged.

“Ilia, please, won’t you just look at me?”

She didn’t respond, leaving her empty gaze to stare at the empty wall and reflect the emptiness that was taking over her life.

“Can’t you please just talk to me?”

The empty hope filled the empty room as the man released a soft sigh.  He got up and left, like he always did since the brunette ended up at his house.  She didn’t know how she got there, and honestly she didn’t rightly care.  She could feel bandages wrapped around her head and above her waist and she knew that she had spots on her arms and legs that were bruised and other spots that were recovering from frostbite.  She wasn’t sure how long she had been there either.

All she knew was that her parents weren't the ones who found her.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Cobra?  Cobra, are you there?”

The familiar shadow of the snake faunus crossed the wall towards the unfamiliar voice and light knocks on the door before it creaked open to reveal a large and looming shadow.  “Ghira!  I’m so glad you got here safely!”

“As am I Cobra,” the deep voice responded.  “But now is not the time for pleasantries.  Right now, we need to think of our next plan of action.”

“Trust me, I know,” the snake shadow responded as he shook his head.  “With the mine’s closed all production has stopped, which means that no allowances are being given.  People can’t go on like this.  With no money people are going to thievery or rioting to get basic necessities and no one’s willing to listen to my pleas.”

“Did you contact General Ironwood?”  The deep voice asked with a rising intonation.  “Is he giving us aid?”

A sigh rang throughout the empty house as grey eyes continued to stare at the slim shadow that shook its head.  “He won’t be helping us.  Mantle can't get kingdom protection since it got bought out by the Schnee Dust Company.”

“How could Mantle be owned by the Schnee Dust Company?”

A small shadow with cat ears stepped in front of the larger one to confront the lanky shadow before it.  “Mantle was the capitol of Atlas since before the Atlas was even created.”

The thin shadow let a snakey hand scratch the back of its head.  “I see you brought Blake with you.”

“She actually invited herself, more-or-less.”

“And you haven’t answered my question,” the small shadow stated with arms crossing.  “How could a corporation have bought out an entire city?”

The shadowy head rolled that the brunette knew was usually followed by the rolling of copper as the smooth voice returned.  “Well, you already know that Mantle was the capitol of the kingdom, which means you probably also know that that didn’t last forever.  When people started migrating to Atlas after the combat school opened up, not a lot of people were willing to stick around here to work the mines.  The faunus stayed due to lack of options, but they couldn’t afford housing with the low wages the mining industry offered and many died from frostbite.  Now, Mantle was largely in debt due to the war, with Atlas not having that burden since it became a city afterwards and the mines were already owned by the Schnees who had moved up to Atlas with the rest.  With no way to sustain itself the city of Mantle was on a road to simply shutting down until the Schnees bought it out.”

The tall figure leaned down to place a hand on the small shadow.  “And that’s how the mines that fuel the nation, the harbor you and your father docked in, the train station that takes us to Atlas, and the very house we’re standing in now, as well as every other house in sight here, belongs to the Schnee Dust Company.”

“But there must be something General Ironwood can do?  Doesn’t he owe the citizens here some protection?”

The tall figure rose to the larger shadow as he put his hands on his hips.  “Maybe, however he’s not going to when the choices are protecting the mine workers, or protecting the comfortability of the Atlesian citizens.  I don’t know the full details, but when the Schnee Dust Company bought out Mantle a contract was written up.  Apparently, so long as Mantle produces the dust Atlas needs then the Schnees have free reign on how to govern Mantle.”

“That sounds stupid.”

The slicked head tilted towards the smaller shadow.  “It may be, however without that contract a lot of faunus would be homeless or dead.  Though I will admit, regardless of the benefits it granted faunus, it still simply allows for an abusive system with no protection for the workers here.”

“Is the contract still in effect if the mines are down?”

“I asked the general that as well,” the smooth voice admitted.  “He said that in times of emergency like this, then the Schnee Dust Company gets a grace period to fix the damages, however, at that point Atlas’ main concern is reopening the mines and looking for survivors.  But so long as the mines are functional after a grace period determined by the two factions, then the soldiers pullout and all returns to normal.”

“Then we need to make sure that the mines don’t reopen until our demands are met,” the gruff voice spoke full of fire and determination.  “Our people do not just deserve a job, but they deserve their lives, and it is an employer’s duty to ensure that an employee’s job doesn’t rob them of that.”

“I absolutely agree,” the soft voice concurred.  “And I’ve been trying to rally the people, but they know that a strike would cause them to lose their wages as well as their homes.  And besides…”

The thin shadow hugged one elbow, making it look small enough to disappear.  “No one here trusts me anyway.”

A large hand clasped the shoulder of the thin shadow, connecting all the shadows into a single entity.  “I trust you Cobra.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked you to head a chapter of the White Fang here.”

“You can’t be a leader if people don’t trust your lead,” the shadow stated evenly with a slight shrug.  “That’s why I called you here.”

“Well, if people are afraid of losing their homes,” the deep voice began, a hint of hope causing a rise in the tone.  “Then we’ll provide them shelter.  We’ll provide them food.  And we’ll provide them the chance to have a job where they don’t have to worry if they will live to make it home or not.”

The lanky shadow head tilted before a soft laugh escaped the man.  “Alright.  Where do we start?”

“Daddy’s got tents!”   The small shadow shouted with eagerness as the shadow strained to show off its leadership qualities.  “We’ll get them set up!  Mommy’s been keeping charge in Menagerie where they are preparing food packages for the strikers and-!”

The hair between the shadow's cat ears got ruffled by the larger shadow next to it.  “I appreciate your enthusiasm Blake, however we first need to rally the people to our cause.”

“But-!”

“Actually Blake,” the smooth voice stated as the thin shadow leaned towards the small one once more.  “There’s something I would really appreciate your help with.”

“But I-!”

“Now Blake,” the low voice lightly redirected with a large hand on the small shadowy shoulder.  “Mr. Copper is our host, and is a large contributor in making our fight here possible.  The least we can do is help him with his ails, for if we are not willing to help the people around us, how can we hope to help anyone beyond.”

A pause settled over the shadows as they stilled against the wall.  Finally, the small shadow crossed its arms and lowered its head a little.  “Fine.  What do you need.”

“Come in here,” the smooth voice guided softly.  The shadows began to shift and veer as the sound of footsteps crept closer to the brunette until they overshadowed the wall, stopping at the door frame.

“Who is that?”

“Cobra, what happened here?”

“Listen,” the smooth voice commanded while the grey gaze remained glued to the wall, not bothering to match the faces to the shadows that she had been watching.  “Her name is Ilia, and she is the daughter of my two dearest friends.”

“Cobra…”

“Who attacked her?”

“I don’t know,” the soft voice admitted, weathered by the pain that was finally making itself present in the snake faunus’ voice.  “I found her on her parents’ doorstep, half dead from the cold.  I’ve done everything I can, but she won’t talk to me and…”

A soft sob could be heard as the blank stare remained focused on the blank wall.  “Please, Blake.  I’m begging for your help.  She’s all I have left of them and I… I don’t know how to help her.”

“How do you think I could help her?’

A sniffle followed the soft voice.  “Just… just try talking to her.  She’s around your age and she’s just gone through a lot… so… just give it your best shot.”

A pause settled as the brunette remained frozen in place, knowing the small shadow's gaze must be on her since they were talking about her.  She could see a small shadow give a determined nod as its head turned towards the lanky shadow.  “Okay, sir.  I’ll do my best.”

The thin shadow released a sigh as a lightness returned to the familiar smooth voice.  “Thank you so much Blake.  I truly appreciate it.”

There was a brief silence as the snake shadow returned to its full height and the deep voice returned.  “We’re going to have to leave now Blake.  Are you going to be okay here?”

“I’ll be fine, besides, it’s not like I’ll be here alone,” the young voice stated in what seemed like a humorless joke.  “But do I really have to stay here?  I wanna help with the fight.”

“This is helping with the fight Blake,” the unfamiliar deep voice responded once more.  “We must all be banded together if this is to be successful.  Besides, you’ll be safer here.”

“Since when have I chosen safety over freedom?”

A deep chuckle was the response as the sound of ruffling hair perked the brunette’s ears.  “I should really take better precautions to make sure you don’t follow me to other kingdoms, but I cannot deny that your help may be necessary in certain cases.  Especially this one.”

A pause settled over the voices as she was sure they were making certain it was clear they were talking about her.  “Take care Blake.  We’ll be back before dark.”

“And you’ll tell me everything I missed, right?”

A light-hearted chuckle escaped the deep voice.  “Don’t worry Blake.  I’ll be sure to not miss a single detail.”

A set of footsteps began to leave the room to head towards the door before a softer pair moved closer to her while a familiar hand rested tentatively on her shoulder.  “Ilia, I know you heard everything we said, but I wouldn’t leave you with someone I didn’t believe was trustworthy.  Blake will watch over you for a bit, and then…”

There was a pause, an uncertainty as to what the future held for any of them anymore.  The wavering voice held its tongue until it settled for letting that thought die.

“You'll be okay Ilia.  Take care.  I’ll be back tonight, and we’ll check your injuries.”

Then the familiar footsteps walked off, leaving the room and following the heavier steps out the door as its creaking announced their exit and affirmed that she was completely alone.

“So, your name is Ilia?”

Perhaps claiming to be completely alone was an exaggeration, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt that way.

After all, who was left who cared for her?

“My name is Blake.”  The soft voice stated as soft, tentative steps wandered towards the brunette.  “Have you always lived in Mantle?”

Freckled fingers dug shallowly into the sheets before immediately relaxing.  That was the most reaction that the newcomer had seen from the young, beaten girl, and she was hoping to capitalize on it.  “I have never been to Mantle before, it’s nothing like where I’m from.  My father and I just got here from Menagerie, have you heard of it?”

The blank stare remained fixed to the wall as the incessant voice sighed at the lack of response.  This was feeling meaningless, and she was beginning to feel very lost at the entire prospect.  She never considered herself as much of a talker so how was she supposed to convince someone else to talk?  The shadow placed its hands on its hips as its head shook disappointingly while the brunette simply watched, completely unmoved by the struggle.

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then we don’t have to talk.”

The soft, near inaudible footsteps left the room, rummaging through something on the other side of the wall before returning, walking right past the door frame and making a very audible thump at the edge of the bed in front of the girl.  “If you’re not going to talk to me, then I won’t bother.  I’ll just read to you instead.”

The sound of rustling fabric filled the chameleon faunus’ ears as she listened to the sounds of the stranger making herself comfortable at the foot of her bed.  There was the soft sound of a clearing throat as the shadow settled to create a regal beginning.

“Tiber Kahn’s Rising, the Story of the Great Faunus Revolution.”  The sound of rustling pages filled the room as the soft voice did a final throat clearing before beginning the story.  “Not too long ago, there was a land that was full of different people.  These people may have dog ears, or perhaps they had hawk feathers growing on their arms.  These people were known as the faunus, people who had human properties as well as an animal attribute.”

The page turned while the brunette’s gaze remained unmoved.  “The land that the faunus inhabit is now called Menagerie.  This land had been known as a safe haven, as well as a cage.  On the one hand, this land gave the faunus a place away from humans, saving them from the depravity and hate that the humans treated them with.  But on the other hand, it was a very small space with very limited opportunities for the faunus to be a part of the world that laid before them.

Another page turn, a continued blank stare.  “After centuries of confinement, of abuse and of discrimination, the humans decided that if the faunus didn’t like the way that human kingdoms were run then they should all be sent back to Menagerie, but the faunus refused to be robbed of their homes.”

The voice began to waver as another page was turned.  “The faunus were at a loss of what to do.  The kingdoms were becoming increasingly violent towards the kingdom faunus, and the faunus on Menagerie knew that their small island couldn’t provide enough resources to feed and house every faunus on Remnant.”

The page turned slower this time, the brunette certain that the shadow was biting its lip with the tension that seemed to fill the air.  “The people of Menagerie held a council meeting.  They had discussed expansion of the island, but the treacherous desert was home to many Grimm, and the sands were harsh.  Another suggested they try to build their own settlements on the different continents of Remnant, but those villages were largely unsuccessful against the Grimm, and they had the added threat of human invaders.  The crowd continued to chatter and argue until a young man with a tiger’s tail stood before the crowd.”

The page turned again, the action sounding full of purpose.  “’I say we fight.’  The man stated dramatically.  A pause settled over the crowd as they whispered amongst themselves.  Questions lingered in the back of their minds as to how they could fight the humans.  They had limited resources on Menagerie and no one from the kingdoms would be willing to trade with them.  Eventually a bystander shouted at the lad.  ‘Are you mad?!  There’s four kingdoms and only one of us!  How can we possibly fight against them?!”

The shadow took a deep inhale as it turned the page again.  “The man gave a toothy grin that overtook his face.  ‘If we fight with the desire for freedom, then we cannot possibly lose.’”

There was another page turn, this one wavering a bit before being set aside.  “There were roars of laughter and some even booing the boy.  ‘You’re crazy!’  Some would reply.  ‘You’ll get us all killed!’”

The page turned quickly as the brunette sensed the shadow’s eagerness in reading what lay ahead.  “’I will not die!’  The man shouted with coal colored eyes panning across the crowd.  ‘And you will not die either!  For I have sworn that I will see all of our people free.  I fight, not just for my freedom, but for all of yours as well.  And I will fight for everyone’s freedom, even if I must do so alone.”

This page turn was slower as the brunette tilted her head slightly from the motion.  “A pause fell over the crowd as whispered mutters remained heavy in the air until a booming voice commanded all attention to it.  ‘This man is willing to fight for a better life for us all.  Surely such courage and compassion deserves to be rewarded.’”

There was a slight pause before the familiar page rustle came about.  “All heads turned before quickly bowing as Mogahn Lee Belladonna, the head chief of Menagerie, made his way through the crowd towards the boy who was calling all to arms.  He approached with his panther tail flicking in the wind as the young man bowed his head.  ‘My chief, please forgive my disturbances to the council, however I truly believe that the only course of action left to us is to let our grievances be known to the humans, and to use force if necessary.’”

The rustling continued as the voice moved forward undeterred, causing the brunette to become immersed in the story.  “A soft smile crossed the chieftan’s face as he looked down at the young man.  ‘Although I abhor violence, I also know that there are moments where it is inevitable, and this is one of those times.’”

“The young boy rose as the chieftain called out to the crowd.  ‘Heed these words now my fellow citizens, for this man speaks the truth.  War is inevitable if we wish for a better future for ourselves and our children, and I know of no one better who could lead us to that great future than this young man here.’”

“The dark eyes of the young lad widened as he rose from his kneeling position.  ‘Sir, are you sure?  I am nothing more than a simple farmhand, shipped here from Mistral due to anti-faunus sentiment.’  But the chieftan smiled as he rested a heavy hand on the man’s shoulder.  ‘I couldn’t be more certain, you will be the one who will grant us our freedom.’”

“The chieftan knelt before the young farmer as he pulled out a sword, ‘This blade has been carried down by the protectors of Menagerie since the creation of our country.  I pass this down to you, that you may bring about freedom for every faunus here.’”

“A hush fell over the crowd as the young man’s hand wavered before the scabbard until his firm grasp claimed it.  The crowd cheered in thunderous applause as a smile spread across his face and he turned towards the crowd.  ‘Listen now, my fellow faunus!’  He cried from the center of the square.  ‘We will go to battle, but we must not be afraid, for we cannot fail!  For we are driven by the pursuit of freedom!  And there is no force on Remnant that can stop a person who strives to be free!’”

“The crowds cheered as the planning began, Tiber sharing with Mogahn Lee the open fields in Mistral that would work as bases for the faunus in that kingdom to set up an army, as well as making contact with faunus from the other kingdoms.  They quickly trained their people and formulated their plans for a toil that lasted three years in the making, until the fateful day when General Legume foolishly set a nocturnal ambush on the night-seeing faunus.”

This page turned slowly as the voice followed its pace.  “The war didn’t end there though, regardless of what scholars say, for the faunus are still fighting.  The torch for freedom has been passed down through the generations as the old and young gather together to forever secure their freedom in a world that cares so little for them.  And although the fight continues through now, many still use Tiber’s battle cry as the motto for their cause.  ‘We are driven by the pursuit of freedom!’”

The page turned as the voice began to quiver.  “’And there is no force on Remnant that can stop a person who strives to be free!’”

The book closed slowly as a soft sniffle could be heard, grey eyes turning just enough to face forward and see the shadow’s true form for the first time.  The girl hung her head as she stared at the book in her lap while her shaggy black hair covered her face.  A pale hand moved towards the hidden face as the brunette turned her gaze back towards the wall before the shadow’s head lifted.

“I tend to read that story a lot,” the soft voice returned with a soft shake of the shadow head.  “Mostly because not many outside of Menagerie know about our history, or our cause.”

Silence returned as the grey gaze remained locked back on the wall as the girl at the foot of her bed gave a light groan while she slowly rose.  “Well, I’ll… let you think on that one…”

And then the light footsteps moved away and out the room, returning to the source of rustling that had occurred before the story was told.  The shadow moved back into the room but took a turn to move against the far corner.  “I understand if you don’t want to talk.  Sometimes these things aren’t easy to talk about, but I’m going to be right here if you need me.”

And then the silence returned, though this silence was different.  There was an ease in the air surrounding the shadow that the brunette hadn’t felt since the incident.  It was as if that girl alone could exude a sense of peace simply with her presence.  Suddenly, the brunette felt incredibly tired, too tired to keep her head upright as it drifted to make a light thump against the wall.

“Ilia?”

The shadow rushed towards the brunette, bouncing on the bed she rested on while remaining frozen leaning against the wall.  “Ilia, are you okay?”  The soft voice asked as the pale hands that had turned the pages to unfold the previous story were now waving in front of grey eyes that remained unmoved.  Shortly the shadow backed off, slowly crawling off the bed.  “I’m sorry, you’re probably just tired.  I’ll stop being a bother to you now.”

The footsteps returned to the book that was cast aside in her rush as the silence returned to stay this time.  Hours must have passed before Cobra and Ghira returned, but as soon as the creaking door announced their return the small shadow made an exuberant show of it, bouncing excitedly to hear what news they had to share.

“Daddy!  How did it go?!  Are we going to start the protests now!”

“Blake, you know progress doesn’t happen that quickly.”

A loud ‘tsk’ cut through the air as familiar footsteps cut across the living room.  “You say that as if we made any progress at all.”

“Protesting is a battle of patience Cobra,” the deep voice responded in an exceptionally low tone.  “It needs to be when trying to avoid a battle of bloodshed.”

The brunette half wondered if the words fell on deaf ears as the snake faunus sat just beside her bed while resting a hand on her own.  “Ilia, I’m back.  Was everything okay?”

Silence fell over the room as grey eyes watched the small shadow distort as it tried to turn to face the bedroom.  “I’m sorry Mr. Copperhead.  She wouldn’t talk much to me either.”

The man released a sigh as he walked over to the small shadow, becoming the lanky shadow that bent over to ruffle the head of the small one.  “It’s okay Blake.  I know you did your best.”  He walked through the door frame as he spread his shadowy arms.  “How about some food.  Everyone’s probably hungry by now.”

“Cobra, you don’t have to do that, we know food is scarce and-”

“And I’m not letting you starve in my house,” the man affirmed, tone fighting to stay light.  “I have some rations saved for just an occasion.  Because you never know, you know.”

The footsteps continued to move through the house towards the back kitchen as the large shadow released a sigh as the small shadow tugged against his long shirt.  “It’s okay daddy,” the soft voice consoled.  “Things will get better.”

The large shadow loomed over the small one before completely engulfing it, hugging tightly to the small shadow.  “I know Blake.  I know.”

And the grey gaze remained glued to the silhouetted scene as a single tear marred her face.

* * *

 

It was four days since the two shadows first entered the house.

At least, the brunette was sure it had been four days since the small shadow was now reading her fourth story.

None of the other stories she read seemed to have as much significance to her as the first one.  There was a story on the moon’s broken state being caused by the Earth's lost love.  Another on the expansion of settlements in Vacuo.  The third was about a hero who rescued a girl from a tower to live happily ever after.

Today’s story was on the tradition of color, which, honestly, the brunette was willing to ignore.

After all, wasn’t color the reason things ended up like this?

“The war ended with a peace treaty as the Grimm began to overwhelm both sides.  And as the memory of the war fades from living memory, many continue to name their children after colors as a way to remind them, and all who will come later, that one must never allow their true self to be erased.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Cat ears perked on the shadowy head as the shadow moved quietly towards the brunette.  “Ilia, what’s-”

BOOM

The door exploded, kicked straight through the house as the shadow turned towards the disturbance.

“You know the drill, everything’s gotta go!”

Heavy footsteps stomped into the house as the shadow got off the bed to confront the invaders.  “What are you doing here?!  This is someone else’s home!”

“Wait, isn’t that the Belladonna girl?”

The shadow seemed to sink smaller as the brunette slowly turned her empty eyes towards the cat faunus, before they rose to the door frame.  A crowd of three other officers rushed into the room before the ring leader cut through the crowd.  “Well, well, well, looks like we found the right place then.”

The small cat faunus shivered slightly as she spoke with a snarl crossing her face.  “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Demanding answers from us?  How very bold of you,” the commander commented as he swept his forest green hair to the side.  “Well, I’ll be brief.  Ghira Belladonna and Cobra Copperhead are under arrest for consorting against the kingdom of Atlas and, as their constituents, that same charge now falls on you.”

The man let a sinister chuckle escape him before he turned to his guards.  “You get the quiet one.  I got this kitty here.”

The officers moved slowly as the ravenette took soft steps back, the imposing figures closing in as a flash of amber caught grey eyes.  “Stop!  G-Get back!”

“Aw, you may as well give it up kitty cat,” the man taunted as he drew closer.  “It’ll just hurt worse for you if you don’t.”

A soft growl escaped the ravenette as she looked back towards the brunette.  “Don’t worry, Ilia.  I’m gunna protect you-!”

The ravenette was grabbed by collar as the commander raised her till she was eye level with the general.  “What were you saying, brat?”

WHAM

The captive faunus swung her legs to kick in the general’s face, propelling her out of his grip as the officers turned their attention towards the falling general as grey eyes snapped to the situation in the room.  A pale hand wrapped around the brunette's own as it pulled her out of the bed.  “Come on!”

“You’re not going anywhere!”

The large hand came upon them as the cat faunus pulled the brunette closer to her.  “Hold tight!”

“You won’t-!”

The hand fazed through the ravenette’s form, causing him to look until he turned towards the door, watching as bewildered grey eyes were pulled away by the desperate flight of the cat faunus.

“After them!”

The guards all rushed out of the house as the brunette's gaze remained fixed on the pursuers, blinking absently at the surreal situation she found herself in.  She shook her head slightly as the hand around hers squeezed lightly and amber turned to meet grey.  “Don’t worry Ilia, I’ll get you out of this.”  Grey eyes turned towards the dark haired faunus as the broken buildings rushed past them.

"I promise to keep you safe."

The chameleon faunus looked around, recognizing the area as she felt her mind begin to reawaken.  She tugged on the hand connecting hers to pull the cat faunus down an alley.  “This way.”

“Wuh-!”  The ravenette cried slightly as the brunette took the lead, pulling her past the buildings towards the docks as they moved through the maze of crates and barrels.  Grey eyes remained trained behind her as the brunette made a final turn into an overturned crate, pushing the ravenette in first and camouflaging her skin to shield the cat faunus from eyesight as the guards rushed beyond.  Both girls remaining frozen in place until they heard the last of the heavy footsteps running far from where they hid themselves before they allowed themselves to relax.

Heavy pants and roaring winds were all that surrounded them for a moment before the ravenette reached out towards the chameleon faunus.  “Ilia?”

Grey eyes immediately snapped back, locking into the deep amber color of her companion’s eyes for the first time since the cat faunus had entered her house.  Fear began to overwhelm the brunette as her skin turned darker, fading into black as she hoped to hide in the shadows so that the girl wouldn’t notice her.  “Ilia?”

The chameleon faunus pushed the ravenette back, getting up hurriedly as she rushed to leave the confined spot before a firm grip tugged at her hand.

“Ilia!”

“Let…” the brunette softly whimpered as tears rolled down her cheeks, her now black eyes clenching shut as she tugged slightly to try to break free from the grip while the ravenette's soft voice returned.

“Please don't run away Ilia.  It's dangerous out there.  I don't want you getting hurt!”

"I..."

A pause settled  between them as the brunette's tugs lessened, losing the fight in her as the cat faunus' grip remained firm against around the brunette's wrist.

"I don't want you being alone Ilia."

A silence settled between them as the dark grey eyes turned towards amber eyes once more, noting the sheer sincerity they shone with as the pale hand began to fall away.

"Ilia?"

The tears began to flow, springing forth from the chameleon’s eyes as she hugged the cat faunus as tightly as she could while everything flowed free.  All the tears, all the feelings, all the colors.

It all came flowing endlessly as she held tighter to the ravenette, praying that she might be a friend who she would never lose.


	5. A Hint of Copper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, guess this fails as a prequel story if Atlas is floating in the sky above all the other cities XD, oh well. Regardless of it's newfound inaccuracy please read, kudos, comment and enjoy!

“Are you gonna be okay?”

Pale hands rested lightly on the shoulders of Ilia’s burlap shirt as she wiped her tears and averted her gaze.

“I’m sorry, that was a stupid question.”

“You’re fine…” the soft voice cracked, the lack of use evident in its rasp.  A soft smile spread across the cat faunus’ face as she loosed a light chuckle.

“It’s really nice to hear your voice.  I was beginning to worry that you might have been finding me annoying.”

The brunette hummed a negative, shaking her head before turning away.  “I just know you’re going to hate me eventually.  Everyone seems to.”

“Why would I ever hate you?”

The brunette hugged herself tighter before the ravenette released a sigh.  “Sorry, I shouldn’t press you to talk about things you don’t want to.”

This time the brunette simply squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to hide as deep into the box as she could while the ravenette shook her head.  “Anyways, we can’t stay here.  We have to find my father and Mr. Copperhead and let them know-”

“Belladonna…”

“Huh?”  The ravenette questioned as she turned around sharply, the brunette still refusing to shift her gaze.

“They called you ‘the Belladonna girl,’” the chameleon faunus responded as her eyes glued to the weathered planks she stared at.  “And you said you were from Menagerie.”

Amber eyes widened shortly before a chiming giggle escaped the ravenette.  “So, you were paying attention.  That wasn’t the point I wanted you to get, but at least I know you were listening now.”

“But I don’t have dog ears…”

“What?”

A silence fell over them as the ravenette waited patiently for the brunette to elaborate.  Grey eyes turned lethargically towards amber before moving towards the floor.

“I mean, I don’t have dog ears.  Or cat ears.  I don’t have hawk feather’s or a tiger’s tail or even cricket wings…” the brunette mumbled as her fingers moved to trace the grain of one of the wood planks.  “How am I supposed to know where I belong if I don’t have any of those things?”

The brunette turned her head back away, letting the ensuing silence settle in before soft footsteps were heard coming towards her.

“You know, my daddy doesn’t have any of those things either.”

“Well, then what’s his faunus trait?”

“If you help me find him, I’ll let you try to guess,” the ravenette stated with a soft smirk scratching at the edge of her cheek.  “But don’t ask him directly, he considers it a rude question.”

The brunette let an uncertain groan escape her before she turned back towards the ravenette.  “Okay…”

The ravenette extended a hand that the brunette eyed warily before eventually grabbing hold of it, returning to her feet.

“Alright, so Dad told me that the food shipments have arrived from Menagerie as well as Mistral two days ago and that the Vacuo Fang chapter has been sending support as well, but I don’t see any new ships docked here.  Nor have I seen any of the reinforcements coming through here.”

“They mentioned getting support from Ironwood that one day,” Ilia softly mentioned while shrugging her shoulders.  “Maybe they’re there.”

“Dad wouldn’t go up to Atlas until we had enough people to stage a march,” the ravenette reasoned aloud as she peeked out the edge of the crate.  “They have to be somewhere nearby so that they can continue to try to recruit more faunus.”

“If that’s the case, they might be at the western cove,” the brunette suggested, causing the ravenette to immediately snap her head back.

“What western cove?”

The brunette hugged one elbow as she looked away.  “It’s so far west of Atlas that no humans bother going there, so it’s become a sort of secret hang out space for faunus.  Mr. Copper took me there once saying that it's the safest place from humans close to Mantle.”

“How far is it from here?  Could you land a ship there?”

The brunette shrugged.  “I’ve never landed a ship before so I wouldn’t know, but there’s a tunnel that leads there by the mining district, I can take you there.”

“Alright, it seems as good an idea as any,” the ravenette sighed before she tilted her head out the crate.  “Lead on, and if anything happens I’ll keep you safe.”

The brunette hummed neutrally as she moved past the ravenette, eyes panning the docks before nodding her head away from where they had arrived from.

“This way.”

The ravenette followed cautiously, keeping her eyes focused for more humans to chase after them.  “You said that the tunnel was near the mining district?”

“Yes.”

The cat faunus kept her ears perked as her gaze constantly scoured the area.  “Do you think we’ll be able to get by?  Won’t humans have patrols out?”

“Humans don’t typically come down to Mantle unless there’s dust business.  I don’t know if they’ll send more people to look for us, but I doubt there’s many out and about right now.”

“If there’s a group of humans out looking for Mr. Copperhead and my dad, does that mean the mine’s been cleared out?”

The brunette shrugged as she hopped off the final step of the dock, turning to make sure her companion didn’t slip on the ice slicked surface.  “Maybe.  How should I know?  I thought your dad was filling you in on everything.”

“Well it’s not like the humans would tell him when they cleared out the mine to put everyone back to work.  Especially not when he’s now being charged with conspiring against a foreign kingdom!”

“Well sorry I didn’t know that,” the brunette responded in a tense voice.  “I don’t exactly have a dad I can ask these things… to or… anything...”

The ravenette was about to argue back before she heard a sniffle from in front of her and the brunette fell to her knees.  She rushed over to hug the crying girl as she tried to console her companion.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it like that.  I’m just frustrated and lost and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.  It doesn’t matter now, we’ll find out once we find them.”

“You mean if we find them…”

“Of course not,” the ravenette stated as she helped the girl back to her feet.  “No matter how dangerous the work is my father knows how to keep his head about him.  He won’t get caught, and he wouldn’t let Mr. Copperhead get caught either.”

“Hmm,” the brunette answered neutrally before turning her head towards the craggy cliff side.  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

They walked on a little further before they found a crevice in the rock that was just large enough for a full grown adult to enter if they crouched before entering.  They walked through the entrance, the pitch black not affecting them in the slightest as they made their way through the short tunnel and out to the rocky beach to see the dark grey sky.  It didn’t take long before they realized that smoke was clawing its way to the sky in the distance, rushing towards the sight as they began to notice large tents set up around the bonfire with long tables set up between them.  The ravenette broke ahead of the chameleon faunus as she rushed towards the large figure who stood by the fire.

“Daddy!!!”

The cat faunus collided with her father, forcing a soft grunt from him as she hugged him tightly.  “Daddy, I’m glad you’re okay!”

“Of course I am Blake, but why are you here?  And where’s-?”

“Oh, Ilia’s right behind me!”  The ravenette announced as she turned around to see that she had left the brunette at least fifteen feet behind her.  The chameleon faunus hugged one of her elbows before looking away as the cat faunus continued her thought.  “We didn’t mean to leave the house without permission, but some soldiers came into the house claiming that you and Mr. Copperhead were to be arrested.”

“I see, they must be close to finishing work on the mines then.”

“That’s what I said!”

The man chuckled as he ruffled his daughter’s hair.  “I should’ve known you would’ve picked up on that, you were always very astute for your age.  However, I am impressed that you managed to find our camp here.  How did you know where to find it?”

“Ilia brought me here,” the ravenette explained as she turned back towards the chameleon faunus.  “She said Mr. Copperhead used this as a safe space, so after we lost the guards she brought me here.”

“I see,” the man acknowledged before turning his gaze towards the chameleon faunus.  He took a few slow steps forward, closing some of the distance between him and the brunette.  “Thank you for escorting my daughter here safely Ilia, I am truly in your debt.”

Grey eyes turned tentatively towards the large man, taking note for the first time the tall, bulky stature he had and his burly beard that made him look more like a warrior than a peacekeeper.  She retreated her gaze immediately as she gave a slight shrug before the ravenette spoke up.  “Say Dad, where’s Mr. Copperhead?”

“He’s out patrolling right now,” the man answered softly.  “He should be back shortly, until then the two of you should warm up by the fire.”

“What do you mean?”  The ravenette asked.  “Patrolling for what?”

“Grimm.”

There was a silence between them as the ravenette tilted her head.  “They- You mean there are Grimm out here?”

The man knelt down to be eye level with his daughter.  “We’re outside the kingdom here, so we don’t have any of Atlas’ or Mantle’s protective measures.  Mr. Copperhead promises that we’ll be safe here though.  Most of the terrain here is craggy and difficult to get to without climbing the rocks or swimming.  He is also doing regular patrols with the volunteers that have arrived to ensure everyone here remains safe.  So long as we keep our spirits up, there should be no issue.”

The ravenette gave a stout nod.  “Okay then.”  She turned back towards the brunette as she offered her friendliest smile.  “Come on Ilia, let’s get warmed up.”

The brunette hugged herself tighter, letting her grey gaze move towards the large man, then the cat faunus before she averted her gaze and shook her head.  The ravenette moved towards the chameleon faunus before turning back to her father.  “Hey, can you give us a minute?  I promise we’ll be at the camp shortly.”

The man rose to his full height as he gave a curt nod.  “Of course, the fire will still be going whenever you both feel the time is right to join.”

“Thanks dad.”

The man gave a small wave before heading back towards the camp as the ravenette turned back towards the brunette.  “Okay Ilia, it’s just us now.  You can talk to me, right?”

The brunette squirmed slightly, her gaze moving beyond the ravenette towards the fire, surrounded by tents and lined with tables full of food for the people who need it.  She turned her gaze back to the ground as she hugged herself tighter.  “I don’t belong there…”

The ravenette tilted her head as confusion riddled her face.  “What do you mean?  The camp is open to all faunus who are in need.”

“Yeah, but!”  The faunus cried exasperatedly before she stopped herself to hide her face in her hands.  “I can’t go there, I’m not even supposed to be here!  Mr. Copper-!”

The faunus stopped herself as she felt amber eyes intensify.  “What about Mr. Copperhead?  Ilia, are you okay?”

“I-I can’t tell you!”  The brunette shouted as she shook her head violently.  “I-I don’t need to tell you!  I mean, I-!”

“Ilia!”  The ravenette called as she gently grabbed the chameleon faunus by both her shoulders.  “It’s okay.  You don’t have to tell me anything.”  The soft voice was matched by the warm comfort of pale hands as they moved down to the brunette’s elbows rising to the wrists and gently coaxing the hands away from her face as she let her hands wrap around the brunette’s own.  “And no matter what, if you stay here or if you join us at the camp, I’m going to stay right by your side.  I promise.”

The chameleon faunus let her eyes fall to the hands that held her own, letting her fingers tighten slightly around the pale ones.  “Won’t you get cold?”

The ravenette shrugged her shoulders.  “I’ll try to bear it.”

The brunette felt a soft squeeze against her hands as she rose her grey eyes towards amber, the soft smile there undeterred by the harsh weather.  Eventually the chameleon faunus sighed before shaking her head.  “I can’t have you waiting out here with me, you have a place you belong.”

“So, do you,” the ravenette said softly as she gave a light tug.  “Wherever I belong, you do to.”

The brunette turned her gaze back to their hands, watching as the unfamiliar ones pulled her own lightly as the ravenette grew slowly distant from the girl.  She kept her hands holding the other’s own as she almost pulled away until a single step from the brunette was taken forward.  A soft smile crept across the cat faunus’ face as her companion took another heavy step.  The trend continued, slowly but surely until the cat faunus felt the roaring flames at her back.

“Thanks for joining me,” the ravenette spoke softly with a smile as the brunette turned her head and shrugged.  Blake took a moment to sit down on the rocky shore as she warmed her hands by the fire.  “You can sit down if you want.  The fire feels good.”

Grey eyes flashed towards the fire, before falling back to the ground.  She slowly settled beside the ravenette, hugging her knees as she stared into the fire.  It was strange.  Warmth was so hard to come by when she would spend time in Mantle, but somehow Blake and her father were able to create a beacon of it on the abandoned beach.  She wondered what else the strange cat faunus and her father had to share with her broken city.

She didn’t voice the question though.  The ravenette seemed content to simply sit by the fire and warm up while the brunette continued to stare straight ahead, undeterred by the bright flames that burned to watch.  She hugged herself slightly tighter before she heard the ravenette stand.

“I’m going to let Dad know you’re here and grab some food, do you want me to bring you anything?”

The brunette offered a shrug as a light shiver ran through her, causing the cat faunus to giggle.  “I’ll get you something warm.”

The ravenette took off, leaving the brunette behind as she continued to stare into the fire, watching the flickers and sparks dance before her as she sat in the deafening quiet of the fire’s roar.  Time continued to pass as the sun began to set when the ravenette returned with two plates, one with a steamed vegetable medley while the other held a large fish.

“Sorry that took so long,” the girl announced as she handed a plate to the brunette.  “I was talking to Dad though, he said that he can set up my tent by tonight and we can share, but if you’d rather have your own I can stay in Dad’s tent.”

The brunette stared at the food in her hands, slowly grabbing the fork that came with it and stabbing a steamed broccoli with it.  She plopped the vegetable in her mouth as the ravenette took her seat back next to her.  “After we eat I can lead you to the tent and you can decide what you want from there.”

The brunette shrugged as she poked at the steamed carrot.  She chewed it slowly as the ravenette smiled at the sight.  “I was really hoping you’d like that.  I'd heard that vegetables like that were hard to come by in Mantle.”

She stabbed at a zucchini slice this time as she took a bite while the ravenette began to nibble the belly of her fire-charred trout.  They ate in silence, the brunette never letting her gaze leave the fire as she mechanically ate her meal while the ravenette munched cheerily away at her fish.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

The brunette’s hands clenched as she slowly lowered her plate to the ground while the ravenette turned her amber gaze to the newcomer.  “Excuse me, but is there a problem?”

The coal eyes of the navy haired faunus turned towards the ravenette before completely disregarding her.  “I told you that you wouldn’t want to come back here.”

Amber shifted between the brunette and the cricket faunus before she began to rise.  “Hey, could you leave us alone?  We’ve had a long day.”

“Psh, why should I take it easy on her?”  The boy sneered.  “Do you even know who she is?’

The brunette hugged herself tighter as she shrunk as small as she possibly could.

“The White Fang doesn’t care about any of that.”  The ravenette announced as she stood between the cricket faunus and the brunette.  “We’re here to help everyone!”

“Oh please, she doesn’t know what it’s like to be a faunus!  She let her human friends allow this to happen!”

The ravenette took a step back as the boy pushed through towards the chameleon faunus.  “So, did you come here to gloat?”

“Stop…”

“To mock us for living in the squalor of Mantle while you let our blood fuel your kingdom?”

“Please… just…”

“Or are you here to throw us back into the mines because you decided not enough faunus died to keep your little secret hidden.”

“I SAID STOP!!!”

The brunette rose and pushed the boy to the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I KNOW IT’S MY FAULT EVERYONE’S DEAD!!!  I KNOW MY PARENTS HATE ME NOW BECAUSE I COULDN’T FULFILL THEIR DREAM!!!  AND I KNOW EVERYONE ELSE HERE HATES ME BECAUSE I DON’T BELONG HERE!!!  I DON’T BELONG ANYWHERE!!!!!”

“Ilia, wai-”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

“Ilia!  Please!”

But the brunette ignored the pleas, focusing on running as far away from the camp as she could while the tears continued to stream down her face.

It was all her fault!  She knew it was all her fault and she had the audacity to believe that she deserved help after all this. That she deserved pity.

She would make this right.

She would find her parents.  The mines were close to opening, so survivors had to have been found by now.  And if her parents hadn’t been found than at least the mines should be cleared enough for her to probably find them.

They were the only ones who would understand.

She just… She just…

She wasn’t sure anymore.  Her head grew foggy as her vision blurred and she collapsed to the ground, dark delirium filling her head until the hazy sound of voices surrounded her.

“Hey!  There’s someone here!”

“We should just leave her.  We have more important things to attend to.”

“I disagree.  Just about every faunus alive here has ditched town.  I say we keep her to work the mines as soon as they reopen.”

“Besides aren’t there some faunus trying to stage an uprising?  She might know where the leaders are.”

She groaned slightly as she tried to turn her head towards the voices.

“Who-?”

“Gyah!”

“What was-!”

The light went out as the human next to her fell with a thud and she covered her head, hoping the assault wouldn’t come to her.  She kept as still as possible, wondering what was going to happen to her until she heard a familiar voice.

“A strange man attacked you and your fellow guards, taking the girl you found and running towards the train station.  You think they may be heading to Atlas and you need to be there to defend it immediately.”

“I…” the guard hazily replied as their eyes sparked with blue, copper and purple.  “I must wake the guards and head to Atlas.”

The brunette felt herself being picked up as she blearily watched over the man’s shoulder, the guard hurriedly tried to get his companions up.

“Oh my gosh, guys get up!  That guy who attacked us is heading towards the train station, we gotta get there and let Atlas know!”

The man rushed forward as the brunette hugged him tightly, clinging desperately to what comfort she could get as he carried her away from her city.  Once they got to the familiar tunnel he stopped.

“Ilia!  Are you o-!”

The brunette sobbed as she hugged the man tighter, the snake faunus responding in kind.

“I don’t want you to hate me anymore!  Please Mr. Copper, don’t hate me!”

“I don’t hate you Ilia,” the man spoke softly as he hugged her tighter.  “I could never hate you.”

“But I failed Mom and Dad!”  The faunus girl cried as she hugged him tighter.  “I was supposed to stay in school and never come back here!”

“That wasn’t your fault Ilia,” the man responded softly.  “I promise you, none of this is your fault.”

“But I said such mean things!”  She nuzzled closer as she wiped the tears on his combat gear.  “I said Mantle wasn’t important!  I said it was a rat’s nest that could never be important!”

“That doesn’t matter Ilia, nothing you said or did could’ve stopped what happened at the mines.”

The tears continued to spill from grey eyes as she looked into the man’s clear copper eyes.  “I couldn’t pretend to be human Mr. Copper.”

The man let a bittersweet smile cross his lips as he let his thumbs capture her tears.  “I couldn’t either Ilia.”

“But, I changed colors!  And they screamed and they hurt me!  And- And I tried to find Mom and Dad but they beat me again!  And I’m not supposed to be here, but I can’t go back to school and…”

The girl began to bawl as she hugged the man again.  “And I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!  I get told that it’s wrong for me to be a faunus in school, but then I’m told it’s wrong for me to be here, so what am I supposed to do that isn’t wrong!”

“There’s nothing wrong with you being a faunus,” the man said sternly as he turned her eyes to find his.  “There was nothing wrong with you being in school in Atlas, and there’s nothing wrong with you being here.  The only thing that’s wrong right now is that you’re hurting.”

The brunette whimpered softly as she shook her head lightly, nuzzling deeper into the man’s shirt as he let a soft sigh escape him.

“Let’s head back to the tent.  You need your rest, and I need to make sure your injuries didn’t worsen from today’s events.”

The girl gave a light nod as the man rose to carry her back to the camp, holding tightly as slight delirium filled her head.  The trek was short lived as the ravenette rushed immediately to them once she caught sight of them.

“What happened?!  Is Ilia okay?!”

“She’s fine,” the man replied as the brunette turned her gaze towards the cat faunus.  “I’m going to take her to my tent and check her injuries.”

“But I already told her she could have my tent!”  The ravenette whined as she stomped her foot.  “I was going to stay in Dad’s tent so she could have her own.”

“Blake, that’s nice of you, but-”

“It’s okay Mr. Copper,” the brunette hazily stated as she turned her gaze towards copper eyes.  “I want to stay with Blake tonight… I mean, if that’s okay.”

The man let out a soft chuckle before turning back to the ravenette.  “Where’s your tent?”

“Oh, it’s right this way!”  The cat faunus beamed as she led the way.  “And I know you’re concerned about Ilia Mr. Copperhead, but my tent’s right next to yours and Dad’s, so if there’s any emergency I can run and grab you!”

The man let out a long sigh as he held the girl tighter.  “Thank you, Blake.  I really do appreciate this.”

The ravenette turned her gaze towards the snake faunus before returning it to the ground as she hugged one elbow.  “I just want Ilia to be okay.”

A small smile graced the snake faunus as he followed the girl to the small tent wedged between the tent that acted as a war room and emergency lodgings, and the larger tent that was set up to shelter everyone left in Mantle.  The girl opened the flap as the man ducked to get in.

“I know this is a bit small, usually I’m here alone, but I figured there was enough room for Ilia if she was interested in staying here.”

The brunette let her grey gaze wander, noting a trunk in one corner with a small lamp on top and a small cot in the middle.  The former huntsman took note of the sparse furnishings before choosing to make a comment.  “Where is Ilia going to sleep if there’s only one cot here?”

“My father has another one of course,” the ravenette stated haughtily.  “We just weren’t sure if she wanted this tent to herself so we didn’t bother moving it yet.”

“I see,” the man stated softly as he scratched the back of his head.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me being here Blake?”  The girl asked softly as she hugged one of her elbows.  “I mean, I’ve already caused you enough trouble.”

“Ilia, you’re not the one causing trouble,” the cat faunus responded with a soft smile.  “I’m more than happy to have you here.”

The grey gaze moved to the side as the former huntsman released a sigh.  “Alright Ilia, I’m going to check your wounds and then we’ll get you off to bed, okay?”

The brunette lowered her arm as she turned her gaze towards the man, giving a curt nod in response.  The man began pulling out bandages from a hip satchel as amber watched him with an expression the chameleon faunus couldn't read.  Cat ears perked at every word the snake faunus said as he continued to treat the young brunette that made Ilia feel very self-conscious under her analytical gaze.

“Ilia, I need to check your ribs now.  Are you okay with me checking under your shirt?”

The brunette snapped to attention, offering a quick nod as the man wrapped her shirt up just high enough to get to the bandages.  He gingerly pressed against them as the girl winced at the touch.  The man released a sigh as he grabbed an ice crystal pouch to place on the wound, causing the girl to shiver.

“Have you been noticing any strain on your body at all today?”

The brunette shook her head slowly.  “I dunno.  I guess I just wasn’t paying attention.”

“What happened when you ran back to Mantle?  Did anyone hurt you?”

“N-No…” the brunette responded lightly.  “I was running, but things started to get dark and blurry… but I tried to keep running anyway.  I… things are kinda fuzzy after that.”

“Even if you don’t feel your body’s pain, your mind is going to respond to it,” the man stated as he wrapped some bandages around the pack around her ribs before lowering her shirt.  “It looks like your ribs weren’t up for all this excitement, but they are still well on the road to recovery.  Just keep that ice crystal on tonight and the swelling should go down.  Also, make sure you’re getting your rest.  Your injuries were pretty grave and I don’t want you getting hurt anymore, understand?”

“Yes Mr. Copper.”  The brunette softly affirmed before giving a soft yawn.  “I’m sorry I worried you Mr. Copper.”

The man let loose a soft chuckle as he placed a hand on the girl’s small shoulder.  “I’m always going to be here for you Ilia.  Please, never forget that I’m here for you.”

Tears welled softly in grey eyes as the girl used her forearm to wipe them away as she nodded.

“Uh-huh.”

The man gave the shoulder a soft squeeze before rising to turn to the ravenette.  “Would you like me to fetch the other cot?”

Amber eyes snapped to the man before she shrugged her shoulders.  “Sure.”

“Alright, I’ll be back shortly,” the man informed as he ducked out of the tent, leaving the brunette staring at the flap he left through as she hugged one of her elbows.

“You can rest here if you want.  I can wait for the next cot.”

Grey eyes turned slowly towards amber.  "Are you sure?  You're already doing so much..."

"Of course!"  The ravenette exclaimed as she moved towards the chest in the corner.  "I was going to stay up a little later to read anyways."

The brunette hummed in thought.  "You really like reading, don't you?"

"Yeah, there are so many wonders that are held in a book.  It's sad though.  Not many faunus learn how to read."

The brunette simply shrugged her shoulder as the amber gaze dropped.

"Ilia, do you know how to read?"

"Why would I want to learn how to read?"

The tone was harsh as the brunette further hugged herself, the ravenette reverently running her fingers across her book's cover.  "Because reading is something that will help us all be free."

"That sounds stupid."  The brunette hurriedly replied as the ravenette shook her head.

"It's not stupid.  Education is the way that we'll finally be equal to humans.  And if we fail in wanting to learn then we're just failing everyone around us."

The brunette gasped as she turned towards the cat faunus, tears welling within her eyes as she tried furiously to wipe them away.  "You know, don't you?"

The ravenette rose slowly as she noticed the pained expression flash across the brunette's face.  "Know what Ilia?"

"I..." the brunette paused, quickly wiping the tears before turning away.  "It's nothing.  I'm going to go check on Mr. Copper."

"Huh, but Ilia!"

"Have a good night Blake."

She stepped out of the tent, hearing the worried cries of the cat faunus in the tent behind her as she released a sigh.  She turned her gaze back to the fire, now put out with the darkness descending on them as she moved to sit back in front of it.

There was so much she wanted to give her parents.  She wanted to give them the flame crystals she'd find in her school's radiator room.  Wanted to give them the clothes she'd find in the shopping malls that her friends would take her to regularly.  She wanted to give them a soft mattress with a think blanket to offer them the sweetest dreams.  She wanted to give them a home in the richest kingdom in the world.

She just wanted to give them everything.

"Ilia?"

Grey eyes turned to familiar copper, the tears continuing to fall as she hid her head in her arms to shake it violently.

"I just wanted to make them proud, Mr. Copper."

"I know Ilia," the man spoke softly as he sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her small frame.  "But you wanna know a secret?"

"What?"

"Your parents were already proud of you."  The man stated with a soft smile, as he wiped the girl's tears away.

"They'll always be proud of you, no matter what."


	6. A Mix of Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New month, new chapter! Thanks again to everyone for your continued support, please read, kudos, comment and enjoy!

It was bright.

It was bright and red and nothing like the dull and grey wall that she had been staring at every time she woke up just to continue staring at through the daylight hours until she finally slept to await staring at the wall again.  What happened to the wall?

_BOOM_

Oh yeah, it probably got taken back by the Atlesian military force.  Because they were taking everything from the faunus, including empty walls that heartbroken girls would stare at as they tried to pour all the memories out onto that wall so that they weren’t stuck in their head.  Now the brunette had the bright, flimsy tarp wall that shimmered when a breeze went by.  Not exactly the ideal surface for staring since flickering surfaces snaps one out of their trance to remind that person that they’re staring at a wall.

“Hey kid.”

Grey eyes moved slowly towards the snake faunus before snapping back to the wall, unshed tears threatening to mar her cheeks as the man knelt down beside her.  “Hey, don’t cry Ilia.  It’s bad for my image if I’m making kids cry.”

The brunette gave a half-hearted chuckle as she quickly moved to wipe the impending tears.  “I’m sorry Mr. Copper,”

“Don’t be sorry either Ilia,” the man stated softly as he put his hand on her shoulder.  “You have nothing to be sorry for Ilia.  You know that, right?”

She nodded her head lightly as she gave a soft sniffle and the man gave an equally soft smile.  “Good, anyways, I need to go soon and-”

“Wait, you’re leaving?”

“Of course Ilia.  I have to do patrols, remember?”

“But don’t they have others who can do the patrols?”

“No one who knows this area well enough.”  The man stated evenly.  “You’ll be alright Ilia, Blake is helping out here and Ghira is overseeing the camp.  You won’t be here alone.”

“Yeah… but…”

The grey gaze averted, as copper tried to seek it out.  Eventually the man sighed, rising as he placed his hands on his hips.  “Ilia, you’ll be fine.  Besides, Blake’s already got plans for how to spend the day with you, though she’s also willing to just bring your meals in here if you don’t feel up to leaving the tent.”

“What kind of ‘plans?’”

Copper hardened over with determination as he locked his gaze on hers.  “The fang wants to march in three days.  You’re free to take part in the march with us, however, the White Fang requires all who want to march to be trained.”

“Trained in what?”

“Mostly non-violence tactics,” the man stated evenly.  “How to protect yourself, how to stay uniform during the march, mostly, things to help you stay safe if you decide to march.”

The brunette hummed neutrally as she turned her gaze back to the wall, the man releasing a sigh at the behavior.  “Look, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.  Blake’s going to stop by once breakfast is ready to ask you for your decision.  Also, if you choose to do the training you still have the choice to opt out.  Many know you’re still recovering, but what they can teach you can help you heal faster.”

The brunette gave the same hum she had previously as the man rolled his eyes before leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head.  “Take care Ilia.  I’ll see you later tonight.”

The grey gaze rose with the man as she looked at him with forlorn eyes.  “You promise you’ll be back?”

“Absolutely,” the man stated, resting his hand on her shoulder again.  “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“…Okay…” the brunette mumbled softly as her gaze dropped back to the floor.  “Be safe.”

“Always, Ilia.  Always.”

There was the sound of a tent flap fluttering to the side as the brunette continued to stare at the wall, knowing the man was gone.  She sighed as she looked around the tent.  She shared it with Mr. Copper and Blake’s father, at first apprehensive at the idea of sharing a tent with the unfamiliar man, but they put her cot to the far side and placed Mr. Copper’s next to hers.  Ghira’s was on the other side of a war table with small crates surrounding it.  She wasn’t sure if the crates were mostly used for seating or if there was actual storage in them, but they were everywhere in the tent.

She groaned.  She really didn’t like the idea of staying in an unfamiliar tent with no one familiar to give her company, but leaving the tent and risk running into more unfamiliars was too scary.

The only thing worse would be running into someone a little _too_ familiar.

“Ilia?”

The brunette tensed her shoulders and clenched her eyes as she refused to meet the newcomer’s gaze.

“Sorry if I startled you.  Mr. Copperhead said you were awake.”  The girl took soft, tentative steps into the tent before she raised a plate.  “I brought you food.”

The brunette sighed.  She turned her grey gaze slowly towards the small cat faunus who gave a sheepish smile.  The brunette gave a light nod towards the crate in the corner as the ravenette took the cue to leave the plate there, waiting as the brunette slowly joined her for breakfast.

“So, Mr. Copperhead told me he informed you what we’re doing next.”

The brunette nodded as she grabbed a small fork-full of egg before gingerly plopping it in her mouth.  The ravenette watched hopefully, waiting for a response from the brunette that would never come.  Instead she sighed, dropping her gaze and shaking her head.  “Look, Ilia, I don’t know what your story is, and I don’t need to know, if you feel better not telling me.  But, I know that, whatever happened, you were hurt because of it.  So, please, just… just hear me out on what I have to say.  Because I don’t want you to ever hurt again, and I want to be able to take the hurt you already have now away.”

“That’s not possible,” the brunette answered evenly as she struck a bacon slice with her fork and the ravenette sighed.

“I know.  I mean, I know that hard experiences are just as hard to heal from, but there’s a way that we can take all the physical pain away.  It’s not perfect, but it will keep anyone from being able to…” she paused, looking back at the bandage across the brunette’s head before averting her gaze once more.  “It will help…”

The brunette took another bite of her breakfast, chewing slowly as her eyes remained locked on the corner of the table, emptily staring at the empty space there.  The brunette swallowed slowly as her gaze remained locked in place.  “What is it?”

“Huh?’

The brunette turned her gaze before lethargically returning it back.  “What’s this thing that’s supposed to protect me?”

“Oh, right,” the ravenette stammered as she scratched the back of her head.  “Well, have you ever heard of aura?”

The brunette shook her head without bothering to return the gaze, continuing to eat as the ravenette began her explanation.  “Well, it’s kinda difficult to describe, and not everyone agrees on how exactly it works, but basically aura is your soul made manifest.”

“That sounds ridiculous.”

The ravenette giggled at the even tone the brunette used who simply continued to work on her meal.  “It probably does.  It’s mostly taught to soldiers, huntsmen and huntresses to protect themselves while out in the field, but the White Fang learned how to use it too, in case a protest gets violent.”

“That still sounds ridiculous.”

“Okay…” the ravenette stated as she rose from her spot.  “Maybe I just need to show you it then.”

The brunette shrugged as she finished off the rest of her breakfast before turning her indifferent gaze towards the ravenette.  The cat faunus bounced lightly on her feet, stretching her arms and giving them a shake.  “Okay… Okay… Just a warning though, I’ve never actually tried to use my aura in this way, but other than having you hit me or something this is the only way to really show it.”

The brunette simply shrugged again as she mumbled a ‘whatever’ under her breath.  The ravenette rose her hands to lower them in front of her as she closed her eyes, breathing steadily while she slowly widened her stance.  Her eyes clenched tighter, tension causing her arms to shake before she threw her right arm forward, launching a small purple orb from her fist that dissipated after moving two inches in front of her.  She dropped her hands on her knees as she began to breathe heavily, the strain of using her aura taking its toll.  “Okay, so, I’m not very good at it but-”

“Your soul is purple.”

Amber eyes shifted towards the brunette as a befuddled expression crossed her face.  “What?”

“You said that aura was the ‘soul made manifest,’ right?”

The ravenette tilted her head before the realization dawned on her.  She giggled softly as she rose to her full height.  “Yeah, I guess I just never thought of it that way.”

The brunette looked down at her hands, fingers twiddling around her right ring finger as she absently mumbled to herself.  “Purple means your tense.”

“What?”  The cat faunus asked as her cat ears wiggled before understanding washed over her.  “Oh, you must be talking about those mood rings.”

“H-How did you know that?”

The ravenette laughed as she sat on the crate behind her.  “You see them around.  I actually got one from my mom not too long ago, but I never use it.  I don’t like something else telling me how I feel.”

The brunette blinked out her surprise as she moved to settle back into her seat, continuing to stare at her hands as her thumbs twirled slowly around each other.  “I wonder what color my soul would be.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out!”  The cat faunus exclaimed as she grabbed the brunette’s hand.  “Come on, we should practice!”

The brunette tried to stutter out a response, but it fell on deaf ears as the ravenette pulled her out of the tent and out towards the beach, finding a spot before the tunnel to Mantle that would give them privacy from the rest of the camp as the ravenette began to pace the area.  “Hm… I suppose this should do.”

“Do for what?’

The ravenette paused in her pacing to give the brunette her most brilliant smile.  “Meditation!”

The brunette tilted her head, not voicing anything as the ravenette quickly decided that she would simply have to answer the unasked question.  “In order to draw out your soul, you first have to find it within yourself and then set it free… at least, that’s how it makes sense to me.”

“I have to… find my soul?”

“Yeah!”  The ravenette answered cheerily, taking note of the skeptical look that took over the chameleon faunus’ face.  “Okay, I know it sounds weird but, well, aura’s a very introspective kinda thing.  You have to tap into the strength of will that’s inside of you and then release it so that your mind and body can exist as one.”

The brunette tilted her head even further before the cat faunus released an awkward giggle.  “Well, maybe it’ll be better to just start.  I can walk you through it.”

The ravenette took a seat on the rocky shore as she patted the space in front of her for the brunette to join her.  It was a slow transition, but, eventually, the brunette joined the cat faunus in sitting cross-legged on the beach.  The ravenette quickly gave simple instructions like sit up straight, hands up on her knees, close her eyes and keep breathing, calmly and deeply.

The brunette followed along, trying hard to keep the vision behind her eyelids black as night, fighting away the memories that tried to claw into the darkness.

“Find a place of peace within yourself.”

The brunette nodded slightly as she focused in on the sound, trying to imagine just her and Blake sitting on the beach.  Or maybe they were sitting in the darkness.  In the darkness, suspended in space and time where no awful memories could reach them.  She kept this image of them in her mind, forcing the peace to remain as the ravenette’s voice chimed in.  “Have you found the place?”

“I-I think so,” the brunette stammered as her eyes scrunched slightly tighter in trying to ascertain how qualified the image she had was to counting as a place of peace.  She imagined imaginary Blake smiling in response.

“Do you feel at ease in the space you’ve created?”

The brunette took a deep inhale, focusing in on the image of just the two of them as the darkness seemed more successful in keeping the memories at bay.  She released a deep exhale that made her next statement seem especially breathy.

“Yes.”

“Good,” the ravenette stated softly, keeping her breath in line with Ilia’s.  “Now, in the space you’ve created, channel all your energy, all your will, to the palm of your hands.  Feel the energy buzzing there, tickling at the palms of your hands, but not clashing against them.  Feel the energy try to merge with the tips of your fingers and all the way up your arms.”

The brunette scrunched her face as she tried to push all her feeling towards the palms of her hands, feeling the energy try to push itself into the tips of her fingers to the rest of her arms, but it wasn’t enough.  She just had to give it a little more-

She felt it!  Like static rushing through her arms, she felt the energy merge with her arms!  She released a nervous chuckle as the ravenette’s praise got washed out by the buzzing feeling that rushed through her, beginning to travel to the rest of her body.  She could feel the energy, she could _hear_ it!

_I wonder what color my soul is_

Her smile began to falter as the darkness began to give way to sounds.

_Purple means your tense_

She could hear the ravenette’s voice, it sounded largely concerned, but it was so hard to hear it as colors began to bleed into the darkness with voices all seeming to shout at her.

_You lied to me_

She began to squirm, shifting uncomfortably in her spot as she watched the colors drip down the dark walls like too much paint on a canvas as the voices continued their assault.

_She doesn’t belong here_

She raised her hands to her ears, trying to tune out the voices as the energy overtaking her body became electric, seeming to bounce off her body in an attempt to escape her misery as the ravenette’s shouts were drowned in the haphazard portrait of the brunette’s soul.

_Everyone in there is dead_

“Ilia?”

“NO!!!”

The force escaped her, unleashing its torrent around her as it shattered the colors dripping down the walls of her mind and a scream could be heard from in front of her.  She opened her eyes before widening them in shock at the cat faunus who was now about seven feet away as she groaned from her spot.  “Blake!”

The chameleon faunus stumbled towards her as she helped the ravenette to her feet.  “Blake I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to do that!  Please don’t hate me!”

“Shhh, Ilia, it’s okay.  I’m still here.  It’s okay.”

“But- But I-”

“It’s okay Ilia, I’m not hurt, see?”  The ravenette held the brunette’s hands as she smiled softly.  “I’m more worried about you Ilia.  What happened?”

“I…” the brunette paused as she shook her head and covered her ears.  “I… I don’t know.  I was just trying to focus my aura but then you went away and… and…”

The brunette shook her head as tears began to stream down her face and the ravenette placed her hands on the brunette’s shoulders as she shushed her softly.  “it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I…” the brunette paused, turning her tear-stained gaze towards the ravenette.  “I’m so sorry.  What- how did you end up all the way here?”

“You released your aura, well released it outward,” the ravenette explained as she kept the soft smile in place.  “It’s fine though Ilia.  This happens sometimes when people first learn to use aura, they lose control of it.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“I know, that’s why I’m working with you on this,” the ravenette stated evenly as she brushed her arm across the brunette’s.  “Whatever may happen I know how to use my aura to prevent getting hurt from accidents like this.”

The brunette turned her sheepish grey gaze towards the ravenette before dropping it back to the ground.  “I really am sorry though.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” the ravenette stated softly.  “Do you want to head back to the tents?  We can hang out in my tent, and go through more of my books if you’d like.”

The brunette shook her head as she wiped her eyes.  “N-No.  I think… I just need a moment.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

The brunette quickly nodded her head as the ravenette took her seat back on the beach as she watched the waves roll by.  “I’m glad we got to camp near the beach.  I never feel far from home when the ocean’s nearby.”

The brunette took a seat next to the ravenette as she hugged her knees.  “I thought you said that Mantle was nothing like Menagerie.”

The ravenette chuckled lightly before turning her gaze back to the ocean.  “Well, I couldn’t have gotten here without the ocean.  Of course, I couldn’t have left Menagerie without the ocean either.  I’m not sure if I would consider it a similarity as much as I would think of it as a connector of lands.”

“I thought that the ocean was supposed to separate everyone?”

“I suppose that’s the common way of thinking about it,” the ravenette stated, letting her gaze get lost on the ocean.  “As someone who spends most of my time traveling by sea though, it just feels a lot like home, no matter what shore I end up on.”

“But how can you say that about places you’ve never been to before?”  The brunette asked as she tilted her head towards the ravenette.  “How could it feel like home?”

The ravenette shrugged as she leaned forward to better view the ocean.  “I guess that doesn’t totally make sense, does it?  But that’s okay.  I’ve just spent so long traveling with my dad that home feels like the place where I can help people the most.”  She hugged her knees in an image that mirrored the brunette’s as she let a humorless chuckle escape her.  “Daddy gets upset with me for sneaking onto the boats to join him, but I just don’t feel right staying at home.  This is where I belong, the place where I can help people and the ocean helps me get there.”

The brunette hummed neutrally as she stared back out onto the ocean.  “I wish I felt like I belonged somewhere.”

“You do,” the ravenette stated softly.  “You just haven’t found it yet.”

The brunette shifted slightly, squirming in uncertainty as she let her gaze drop.  “How will I know where that is though?”

“I can’t tell you,” the ravenette answered smoothly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “Home’s something you decide for yourself.  It could be a place you really like, or the people you surround yourself with or the duty you undertake.  There are lots of different ways to belong, you just have to find the one that’s right for you.”

The brunette looked at the ravenette for a moment, the wistful expression on her face giving her words more weight as the brunette turned back to the sea, thinking back on the events that had been circling around in her mind over the past few days.

_There’s nothing wrong with you being in school in Atlas and there’s nothing wrong with you being here either._

“I like being here,” the brunette mumbled softly as she hugged herself tighter.  “I like being here with you.”

The ravenette offered a brilliant smile as she turned her gaze towards the brunette.  “I like being here with you too.”

The brunette let the words sink in, staring at the cat faunus in disbelief, but nothing in the cat faunus' face signaled any sort of insincerity.  She let her gaze stare back out over the ocean, the waves continuing their pattern of washing up to the shore, they seemed so calm today, which was rare in the tumultuous region of Mantle.  “If I told you a secret, do you promise not to hate me?”

“Of course Ilia!”  The ravenette answered without hesitation.  “Whatever you want to tell me, I’m all ears.”

The brunette took a deep sigh before she tightened her grip around her knees and stared out towards the ocean.

“I know how to read.”

A silence settled over them for a moment, the brunette slowly closing further into herself as she was certain that the ravenette was going to yell at her, whether it was for lying, or not being a real faunus she wasn’t sure.

“What’s your favorite story?”

“Huh?”

The ravenette giggled lightly before turning her soft smile back towards the brunette.  “Do you have a story that you really like?”

The brunette turned and shrugged her shoulders.  “I never really got to read stories much.  It’s just something my parents wanted me to know how to do.”

The ravenette hummed neutrally as she leaned back once more, letting one of her hands trace patterns in the shore beneath her.  “Did it bother you that I was reading to you while we were at Mr. Copperhead’s place?”

The brunette shook her head as she hummed a negative in answer.  “I don’t mind hearing stories.”

“Good.” The ravenette announced, letting her legs move to be cross-legged as she leaned her elbows on her knees.  “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” the brunette mumbled as she shifted her feet beneath her.

“Is changing colors your faunus trait?”

The brunette quickly turned her face towards the ravenette as her brows knitted in confusion.  “H-How did you know?”

“I didn’t, that’s why I was asking.”

The brunette hugged herself tighter as a soft ‘oh’ escaped her lips.  The ravenette moved her gaze up to the sky before dropping them back down again.

“You were changing colors a lot when you were meditating.”

A slight pink began to rush towards the brunette’s cheeks as she averted her gaze.  “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”  The ravenette asked sweetly, reaching out to hold onto one of the brunette’s shoulders.  “I was just mentioning it because I was worried.  You looked like you were hurting and I was going to try to stop you, but then you changed colors.”

The brunette hugged herself tighter as she kept her gaze locked on the ocean, refusing to meet the cat faunus’ gaze.

“Are you feeling tense?”

“Wh-Why do you care?!”

“Cuz purple means your tense… right?”

The brunette’s eyes widened as she looked herself over.  Her skin was on the verge of turning a light lavender color, but she was able to bring it back.  She took a deep breath as she looked into the caring amber eyes of the cat faunus.  She took a deep sigh before turning her gaze back to the ocean.  “Purple doesn’t mean your tense.  That’s just a mood ring thing.”

“I should’ve guessed as much,” the ravenette answered as she moved back to her spot.  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

The brunette let her face fall, staring over the ocean as she let a soft mumble tumble from her lips.

“Thank you.”

The feline ears perked atop the ravenette’s head as she turned towards the brunette, letting a sincere smile stretch across her face.  “Of course, Ilia.  Whatever I can do to help.”

The brunette simply nodded as the ravenette rose from her spot and dusted herself off.  “Anyway, you ready to head back to the camp?  It’s probably getting close to lunchtime.”

An exaggerated sigh escaped the brunette as her gaze remained locked on the ocean before her, “Fine.”  The ravenette offered a hand that the grey gaze turned to look at warily before the brunette gazed upon the ravenette’s face, a soft smile gracing itself there.  She averted her gaze and took the hand as a timid smile overtook her own face.  The ravenette grinned as she dragged the brunette behind her, moving a little too quickly as the brunette had to slightly jog to keep up, laughing awkwardly at the ravenette’s excitement.  They quickly found themselves in front of the fire as a familiar face greeted them.

“Welcome back you two.  How did the training go?”

“Ilia’s gonna get the hang of it,” the ravenette replied proudly as she spoke to her father.  “She already unlocked it so now it’s just a matter of learning to control it.”

“That’s good to hear,” the man said as he smiled down at the small girl who quickly turned her gaze away.  “Most people take at least a day or two before they unlock their aura, it’s remarkable you were able to unlock yours so quickly.”

The brunette turned her gaze slightly before offering a shrug, the man humming in return before turning back to his daughter.  “I’m going to be in my tent for a while.  With the march coming up so soon I have a lot to prepare for, but don’t hesitate if you need anything from me.”

“What about you Dad?  Do you need anything?”

The man gave a soft chuckle as he ruffled the girl’s hair.  “As long as you have a good lunch and an enjoyable day then there’s nothing more I can ask for.”

The ravenette pouted slightly as she turned away.  “It would be nice if you let me help too.”

“In time Blake, but right now you already have a task to work at.”

The ravenette turned towards the brunette before a small smile crossed her face.  She gave a salute as the man chuckled and shook his head before offering a wave and 'farewell' towards the brunette.  She watched uneasily as he left while the ravenette held her pose diligently.  Once he was out of sight the ravenette turned towards Ilia.  “You can talk to my dad too, you know.  He’s here to help you as well.”

The brunette hugged one of her elbows as she dropped her gaze.  “I-I know I just… I didn’t mean to stare…”

The ravenette scrunched her face slightly before turning her gaze back towards where her dad had entered his tent.  “Why would you be staring anyway?”

“Well, I mean, you said it was rude to ask him what his faunus trait was, and I thought maybe I could find it, but then I realized I was staring, and I realized that was also rude…”

The quick rant was ended with a soft mumble and a short pause before the ravenette giggled lightly.  The sound turned the brunette’s ear as the ravenette shook her head.  “Well, I did say that you should guess at it.  What do you think my father’s faunus trait is?”

“I…” the brunette paused as she shrunk further into herself.  “I don’t know.”

“Well, I’ll let you think it over, for now we should get some food.”

“I… um…”

Silence settled over them as the ravenette looked towards the makeshift mess hall then back to the brunette.  “Do you want me to grab food for you?”

The brunette nodded solemnly as the cat faunus gave a sigh.  “Alright, what would you like?”

“Soup sounds good.”

The ravenette gave a hearty grin.  “Soup it is!  Wait right there and I’ll be back shortly!”

She ran off with a wave as the brunette gave a half-hearted raise of her hand.  She slowly dropped to the ground to sit in front of the fire.  In the exact same place that she had sat the night before, staring at the same spot in the fire.  She let the warmth wash over her as she wondered if this would be her life now.  Was this to be her home now?

Was she just going to stay there working with Blake forever?

She didn’t mind that thought too much.  Blake was helpful, kind, even after the brunette had changed colors like she wasn’t supposed to, but she still wasn’t sure if the ravenette could be fully relied on.  Of course, Blake’s father looked a lot like she did.  He looked a lot like a human.  Maybe it wouldn’t bother Blake if she knew the truth.  If she knew why the chameleon faunus was mocked for being a fake faunus, maybe Blake could look past all that.

“Hey.”

The brunette quickly shuddered at the sound of the voice, hugging her knees close to her as she tried to focus her gaze fully on the fire before her.

“Please… just go away.”

“I…" the boy paused, releasing a sigh as he shook his head.  “I just want to tell you I’m sorry.”

There was no response, the brunette keeping her gaze frozen on the fire as the cricket faunus paused momentarily.  The silence growing heavy as he dropped his gaze and clenched his eyes.

“Gris died in the mines.”

The brunette clenched her arms tighter as she hugged her knees closer and the voice continued forward.  “I- I know we weren’t the nicest people to you but, but he was my best friend.  The only person who cared about a bastard brat like me.  I mean, I guess since he was a bastard too it made sense.”

He let a humorless chuckle escape him as the brunette turned her grey gaze cautiously towards the blue-haired boy who had bullied her throughout her youth, tears breaking from his eyes as he was getting lost in his story.  “He was the only reason I didn’t die there too.  I was supposed to be too old to be pushing dust carts, but when the Schnee inspectors came to promote us to the mines Gris said I was too scrawny, too weak to be able to work a pickax effectively.  I guess it helped that I was so much smaller than most my age, no matter how much I hated it then.  But I should’ve… I should’ve…”

The phrase began to break apart as the sobs interrupted the boy’s pleas, only stopping when he felt the brunette’s hand reaching for his shoulder, turning his dark eyes to look into teary grey.

“Is it weird that I feel lost in a place I’ve lived all my life?”

The boy shook his head quickly as he hugged the girl tightly.  “That’s exactly how it feels right now.”

The girl gave a shuddering breath, confused by the sudden gesture but mustering the courage to return it.  “I’m sorry about your friend.  I wish it wasn’t this way.”

“Me neither,” the boy responded with a sniffle before trying to offer a bittersweet smile.  “But that’s why we’re here.  That’s why the White Fang is here.”

The brunette looked into his eyes briefly before casting her gaze down as the boy’s forced tone cut through.  “Anyways, I offered to help with kitchen duty so I outta get to work.  Take care, and feel free to talk to me if you need any help.”

The brunette gave a half-hearted nod as the cricket faunus gave a simple wave and ran off, leaving the brunette to her thoughts until-

“Was that the same guy that was giving you trouble yesterday?”

The brunette turned towards the voice, seeing the ravenette carrying a bowl of soup in one hand while the other had a salmon medley.  The brunette gave a short nod before turning her gaze, “he wasn’t giving me any trouble today though.”

A sigh escaped the ravenette as a soft smile came across her face.  “That’s good to hear.  Anyways, I hope you’re okay with beef stew.”

The brunette gave another nod as she sat cross-legged back in front of the fire, taking slow sips of her soup as the ravenette ate beside her a single thought running rampant in her mind.

“Hey, Blake?”

“Yeah?”

The brunette turned towards the cat faunus who had completely abandoned her meal for the brunette’s inquiry causing the girl to blush slightly as she turned away.  “Do you really think you can change things for the faunus here?”

“Of course!  That’s what the White Fang does!”  The ravenette exclaimed enthusiastically as a smile beamed across her face.  “We’re going to get the faunus here better protections, jobs, homes, everything!”

The spoon in the brunette’s soup quivered slightly, causing ripples to run across the surface as the brunette stared into it, shifting the colors of her eyes from grey to blue as she stared at her wavering reflection.  “I wonder if you can give the faunus a chance to go to school.”

The ravenette’s hand moved to cup the brunette’s free one.

“We’ll get Mantle whatever they need Ilia.  No force on Remnant can stop a person who desires to be free.”


	7. A Touch of Orange

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Amber eyes looked curiously at the brunette who simply shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s what you’ve been training me for, isn’t it?”

She tilted her head slightly at the ravenette who gave a light chuckle before shaking her head.  It was strange how much the brunette had changed in the three days since beginning aura training.  Ilia moved her cot into Blake’s that night so that she could continue working on her aura, having similar setbacks from her earlier attempt but refusing to relent.  She didn’t get very far on the first day, ending up missing when the ravenette woke up the next morning only to be found stomping around the beach.  The ravenette quickly stepped in, calming the brunette and helping her return to her meditation, helping to ease the emotional hurt that was fueling her aura's explosive nature.   Eventually, the brunette's aura calmed and the ravenette felt comfortable moving back to trying to befriend the brunette who was opening up a little more every day, reading stories with Blake in the small hours of the night.

It was like life was coming back to her.

“Even so, I don’t want you to push yourself.  You spent a lot of energy just healing from your wounds.”

“But I’m all better now.  Besides, you came all this way to help us, so why can’t I help you back?”

The ravenette gave a soft smile as she turned her head towards the war tent.  Mr. Copperhead and her father were finalizing the preparations as others were anxiously awaiting the beginning of the march.

“Are you nervous?”

The brunette tilted her head at the question, the ravenette’s face holding an unreadable expression before turning to the side.  “I-I don’t know.  Maybe?”

The ravenette let loose a soft giggle as she shook her head.  “I was at my first march.”

The brunette dropped her gaze to her lap as she became suddenly fascinated with her hands.  “I think it just feels weird right now.”

“Weird how?”

The brunette shrugged her shoulders as her fingers wiggled lightly.  “Like none of this is even real.”

She continued to stare at her hands, imagining that maybe they didn’t belong in the realm that she was currently in.  It was strange how different her body would feel once she unlocked her aura, it began to feel like her being belonged more to that force than to herself.

“You’ll get used to it.”

The brunette hummed in thought, trying to still the energy that felt like it was ringing under her skin.  “Do you get nervous?”

“Every time,” the ravenette admitted as she shook her head.  “It’s not uncommon for these events to be met with violence.

The grey gaze watched the ravenette for a moment, seeking out the open hand that was left beside her.  “That’s why I’m going.  You told me that every person needed a partner to march with.  To help keep each other safe and I wanna keep you safe.”

The ravenette offered a small smile that caused her eyes to sparkle.  “Thank you, Ilia.  I’m here for you too.”

The brunette looked back into amber eyes as one side of her lip curved slightly upward in what must have been the smallest of smiles.

But it was still a smile.

And the ravenette never missed a chance to mentally note every time the brunette smiled so that she would be able to remind herself that things were getting better.  That _Ilia_ was getting better.

“Everyone!”

All heads turned towards the duo, the burly panther faunus garnering all their attention.

“Today is the day we set out for Atlas!”

Cheers roared from the crowd, the ravenette battling to be the loudest voice in the crowd as the man quieted them down.

“Today we begin our journey to the kingdom’s capitol to lay bare the grievances of our people.  The people that this kingdom is sworn to protect.”

Stray shouts were heard from the crowd, the faunus continuing to roar their support.

“We start our march today.  The journey will be long and there are dangers that lie ahead of us, but we will not allow those to stop us, for we are on a journey to become free!”

The crowd roared, chanting ‘Freedom for Faunus,’ as they carried different signs and began to move forward.  The ravenette handed a sign to the brunette.  “Are you ready for this?”

She looked down at the sign.  Blake helped her make it, gave suggestions as she let the paint flow across the blank canvas, giving life to the words ‘Education for All’ on her small sign as she grabbed the handle of it.  She turned back towards the ravenette, smile still in place as she extended a hand.  The grey gaze turned toward it before returning a fuller smile to the amber gaze.

“Sure.  Let’s get going.”

The ravenette’s smile widened as she squeezed the hand tightly, the brunette trying to hide the blush that came with the thought of how warm the cat faunus’ hand was.  How always there her hand was.   She squeezed it back.  She hoped that hand would always be there.

And it was, for the most part.  The entire five hours that they walked until they stopped for lunch the hand was still holding hers, reminding her that she had a place she belonged.  The ravenette was eager to deliver the prepackaged meals to everyone, still having a few miles left to walk before they would make it to Atlas.  She handed the brunette a turkey sandwich, scarfing down her own as the brunette ate slowly.

“I didn’t think marching would be so literal.”

The ravenette laughed at the statement, wiping her mouth quickly before giving her response.  “It’s not always this way.  It’s just that Dad and Mr. Copper were pretty certain that the trains wouldn’t allow this many faunus on without alerting Atlas what was happening.  This just seemed like the surest way to make it to Atlas.”

“But aren’t you worried about the Grimm?”

The ravenette shook her head as she swallowed the sandwich bite she’d taken.  “The same people who were on patrols are making sure the path stays clear for us.  We should be safe.”

The brunette nodded softly as she continued to eat the rest of her meal in peace, the ravenette shivering from the cold breeze that blew by.

“You can borrow my jacket you know.”

“No way!”  The ravenette shouted as she hugged herself tight to keep warm.  “That coat is for you!  I don’t understand how any of you managed in this place without one.”

The brunette just shrugged as she continued to look ahead.  “I guess we just got used to it.”

The ravenette turned her gaze towards her father who was talking with Mr. Copperhead in muted tones.  “Well, we’re going to change that.”

She gazed at the ravenette momentarily before her gaze fell back to her sign.  She really hoped that Blake was right.

Shouts began to echo across the crowd as the sound of rustling strained against the brunette’s ears.  “What’s going on?”

“It’s time to go.”

The ravenette helped her friend up as the brunette scanned the scene.  Everyone scrambling to get everything cleaned before lining back up into line, forming a single mass that would show the great kingdom of Atlas the people that it was failing.

They continued to travel, the kingdom coming into sight after two more hours of walking as the brunette couldn’t help but shiver at the view.  She hadn’t been there since-

_I don’t wanna hear anymore of your lies, you freak!_

“Ilia?”

The brunette shook out of her trance, looking at amber before turning back to herself as she was turning a light shade of blue.

“I’m sorry!”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I…” she looked back at the looming city, the source of her shame looming over them all as she was trying desperately to get her skin back to her regular tone only for it to get tinged with pink.

“Ilia,” the ravenette moved to hold her hand once more, giving her that oh so familiar smile.  “I’m here for you, no matter what.”

“I… I’m sorry I just…” the brunette turned her gaze away as her skin turned a light grey color before returning to her regular color.  “I’m scared.”

“And that’s okay,” the ravenette stated as she squeezed the hand tighter.  “I’m here for you.”

The brunette turned towards amber eyes before letting her hand slide through the pale one.  “I did something I wasn’t supposed to do when I was here last.”

“You’ve been to Atlas before?”

The brunette’s shoulders stiffed before the soft voice returned.  “Sorry.  I guess you would have told me that before if you wanted me to know.”

There was no response, the sounds of heavy footsteps denying the sound of silence as the ravenette waited patiently before Ilia finally sighed.  “Why are you so forgiving of me?”

“Because you’ve done nothing wrong.”  The ravenette stated so simply.  As if it didn’t even need explaining.

The brunette turned her gaze toward the kingdom, before the gaze dropped back to the ground.  “Atlas believed I did something wrong.”

“And that’s why we’re marching.” The ravenette explained.  “Because I think that Atlas is wrong for making you believe that.”

She turned back towards the ravenette who squeezed her hand.  “And I’m still here for you, no matter how many times I need to say it.”

A soft smile stretched across the brunette’s face as she squeezed the pale hand lightly.

“Come on, we still got a kingdom to change.”

The brunette nodded as she let the ravenette pull her forward.  Pulling her towards the kingdom walls that had violently removed her so long ago.

“We seek entry into the city.”

“Request denied.”

The ravenette pulled the brunette towards the front of the crowd, finding her father talking to the gatekeeper through a video intercom system.

“I apologize, however we will not leave until we are allowed to discuss with General Ironwood the problems plaguing the good citizens of Mantle.”

“The only problem that’s plaguing Mantle is exactly what you’ve got going here!”  The hologram snarled, pointing accusatorily at the large faunus.  “If I were allowed to leave my spot here, I’d beat the hell out of you for causing such an insurrection and threatening our way of life!”

“And I am here because your lifestyle is threatening their physical lives and has already taken the lives of many others.”

“Not my problem,” the man stated apathetically.  “And the damned power shortage you’ve had us dealing with will end as soon as-”

There was a pause, the man disappearing from the screen as the crowd of faunus were all looking around confusedly at each other.  All except for Ghira.

The hologram came back, Ilia noticing the myriad of blues, purples and coppers that flashed in their eyes as they spoke.  “I apologize for the delay Mr. Belladonna.  We welcome you to Atlas.”

The gates parted, the grating sound of metal against metal sounding like the shrill of victory to the faunus as they laid eyes on paved streets and whole buildings for the first time in many of their lives.

“We appreciate your cooperation.  Thank you.”

And then they continued off.  Walking down the street and chanting as they wandered the dark city, roads empty due to the lack of dust that had been robbed of the city for nearly two weeks now.  The brunette couldn’t help but be in awe.  As long as she had been in Atlas she had never seen it so empty or dark before.  It was the city of dreams that was always full of light and laughter, but it almost seemed as if the emptiness that had descended upon Mantle had possessed the capitol too.

Her eyes began to wander.  The streets becoming familiar as she remembered shopping trips with her friends to the nearby mall.  The park that they would go to on sunny days to do homework since Clara said that it was unhealthy to stay inside for long periods of times.

Eventually, they even passed by her school.

“Ilia?”

The brunette gazed down at their hands, her skin tinted blue slightly before she reverted the color back.  “It’s fine,” she stated with a smile cracking at her face.  “I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

The ravenette grinned as the brunette tried to look into the school windows, wondering if any familiar faces would be looking out the window, curious as to what crowd was rumbling the streets.

She wondered if they wondered about her as much as she worried about them.

“Ilia look!  We’re almost there!”

The brunette turned her gaze in the direction her friend pointed in, drawing her attention to the enormous mass of buildings that combined together into a huntsmen academy, military academy and government building.  Ilia’s jaw dropped as she turned back to the ravenette.  “ _That’s_ where we’re finishing our march?”

“Yeah,” the ravenette answered breathlessly, obviously in awe at the sheer size of the complex.  “That’s where Ironwood is, so that’s where we finish.”

“That’s crazy!”  The brunette cried as she turned on her friend.  “We’re really planning on delivering the speech here?  What if he says no?”

“Then we stay here.”  The ravenette answered indifferently.  “We stay until they finally listen.”

“But that’s crazy!”  The brunette fretted.  “What if they decide to arrest us?  What if they kill us?”

“Do you really think that Atlas has enough jail space to hold an entire city’s worth of people?”  The ravenette asked as she showcased the sheer strength of numbers that followed them to the capitol.  “They can’t arrest all of us and, even if they could, then there would be no one to work the mines.  They wouldn’t get anywhere.”

The brunette let her gaze turn back to the looming towers, casting shadows on them as they entered the building’s courtyard.  The chants of the other faunus filled her ears as they continued towards the center building, watching Ghira walk to the top step.  The crowd hushed as the commander’s presence demanded their attention as they listened for whatever he might say next.

“My fellow faunus!”  The man cried as they roared in greeting to him.  “We have arrived at the epicenter of the oppressive regime that rules over us!”

The crowd cheered and chanted as the man turned towards the building’s entrance, staring down the camera that focused in on his face.  “We come here to you, General Ironwood, because we believe in your love for your kingdom and your devotion to protecting the citizens of your realm!”

Silence hushed over the crowd as the brunette watched the man in stunned amazement.

“We ask that you heed the cries of your people, who have given their sweat in providing dust to your capitol, who have given their blood as malicious employers cruelly punished them for arbitrary offenses, and have given their tears for loved ones buried in your caverns, as your military continues to attack them in their grief.  These faunus have given your kingdom so much, have allowed this kingdom to thrive, so now it is your turn to help them thrive.  To allow them to share in the fruits of their labor, instead of robbing it from them.  Mantle calls for your aide!”

The crowd roared once more as the man continued his speech.  “We have come here today to demand that the Mantle Contract be re-written, with the citizen’s suggestions on how Mantle should be run.  Until then, we will remain right here, awaiting your response and praying for your aide in helping unify your nation!”

The crowd roared, chanting in unison ‘Freedom for Faunus,’ as the brunette gripped her sign tighter.  Strength welled within her as she lifted her sign a little higher, following in the chants as the ravenette’s soft voice wafted towards her.

“You’re turning orange.”

The brunette looked herself over, her features more curious than the concerned look she usually took whenever she was caught changing colors.

“I’ve never turned orange before.”

The ravenette chuckled lightly.  “I like it.  It’s a daring color.”

The brunette let a laugh escape her as she gave the ravenette a full grin for the first time.

“That’s exactly how I feel right now.”


	8. A Tinge of Navy

It had been four days.

The brunette groaned lightly as her head rolled against Blake’s shoulder.  Blake had warned her that these things take time, but the brunette didn’t think it’d take _this_ long.  Maybe a few hours, but they’d been out there for _days._

She gave a sigh.  It’s not like it could be helped, nor was it all that bad, other than the cold Atlesian weather but they had brought plenty of gear to keep them warm enough.  That and after humans began to harass them the first day Ironwood closed the gates to the courtyard and increased security so at least the humans couldn’t come in to actually hurt them.  On the other hand though, they couldn’t leave either.

But that was okay.  They weren’t planning to leave until they got what they came for anyway.

The brunette leaned up and rubbed her eyes.  It was still dark out as the brunette watched the sky, but there were vestiges of the sun about to arise coming from somewhere.

She gave a sigh, it looked like she was the first person to awaken but that had been pretty typical since they arrived.  It was just so difficult to sleep around there.

It gave her plenty of time to explore.

She softly rose quickly padding the blankets down so as not to let too much cold air enter their coven to chill the ravenette.  She rushed over to where she kept her coat, fighting off the shiver that always seemed to trouble her most in the morning.  She quickly got bundled up as she padded out of the large courtyard towards one of the side buildings.  From what she had heard the academy had shut down with the dust shortage, the students were given an extended vacation since there was no power for their classrooms.  Many had simply left to their homes, but those that stayed remained within the academy.  The government essentially shut down, all trade with Atlas essentially ceased with the faunus being camped out on the hangar and there’s no energy being circulated throughout the kingdom.  Why was it taking so long for Atlas to just give in?

She gave a sigh as she found the outdoor stairwell beside the academy, rushing up the stairs as they circled around and through the large complex, weaving beneath low ceilings and holding fast to the railings to keep from slipping on the ice.

_Won’t we get in trouble?_

She pushed forward, continuing to climb the stairs until the world opened up beneath her.

_I won’t tell if you won’t._

She sat down at the edge of the rooftop as she took in the sight, remembering the times when she and Clara would sneak to the top of the school’s rooftop to look at the city lights.  Atlas was a kingdom alight, sparkling against the darkness at all hours, never to be defeated by the night.

At least, not until now.

Now the buildings were dark shadows that rose from the ground, reaching out to the all too brilliant stars that shone down on them.  It was so strange to see the buildings act like dark claws to try to reclaim the light that was robbed from them as the brunette just couldn’t help but be in awe.  She never remembered the stars being that bright.

_Remember this sight always Ilia, because, one day, this kingdom will be ours._

“So, this is where you go when no one else is awake.”

The brunette quickly wiped her eyes as she turned to find the familiar ravenette sauntering over to her before giving a shrug.  “I like the view.”

The ravenette gave a light chuckle as she took a seat next to the brunette on the rooftop.  “I imagine it’s also a fantastic place for sunrises.”

Ilia hummed before she sent a soft smile towards the ravenette.  “Guess you’re just going to have to wait and see.”

The ravenette giggled in response as she turned back towards the skyline, leaning back on her palms as she awaited the beginning of the day while the brunette hugged her knees.

_How do we make this kingdom ours?_

“Hm?  Did you say something Ilia?”

“What?  Oh no, you must’ve been hearing things.”

“Hmmm… maybe you’re right.”

The brunette hummed as she buried her head into her arms to hide the blush as the sun began to rise before them, shining over the city like a beacon as it slowly rose above the buildings.

“That was incredible.”

“Yeah, it helps that it’s a little clearer today.”

“Can I ask you something?”

The brunette gave a curt nod as she continued to look over the buildings.  “Is it always so cloudy in Atlas?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t tell you why though.  I always thought it simply had something to do with all the dust and factories, but it hasn’t really seemed to clear up too much.”

“It feels kinda weird,” the ravenette answered as she leaned forward to hug one of her legs.  “In Menagerie the sun almost always shines.  Of course, I guess it makes sense since there’re very rarely clouds in a desert.”

“What does the sunrise look like there?”

The ravenette chuckled lightly as she shook her head.  “I mean, I dunno.  I guess it just looks like a sunrise.  You know, like the sun rising over the beach like the one we were camped on, only the beaches in Menagerie had soft brown sand, not the craggy black that was here.  Oh, and there’s palm trees that grow on the beaches, so they could possibly frame the sun as it was rising.  And I guess the shape of the sun is a lot more defined since there’re no clouds in the way as it paints the sky and ocean orange and pink and blue.”

The brunette looked back towards the horizon.  The sun was cracking through some of the clouds as it colored the grey clouds gold and shot streaks down into the kingdom as if hearing the building’s pleas for light and happily deciding to deliver it to them.

“I wonder if I’ll ever get to see it.”

“I’m sure you will if you really want to.  I know you have the ability to go anywhere.”

“And yet we can’t even leave here.”

The ravenette sighed as she shook her head.  “It’s only a matter of time before they let up.  Mr. Schnee may not be letting up but neither are we.”

“Do you really think he’ll let up though?  I mean, I know your dad and Mr. Copper are talking to him and Ironwood, but what can the two of them do?”

“Well, if it were just the two of them I’d be a little worried, but don’t you think it was nice for them to close the gates on us?”

“I mean… I guess.”  The brunette shrugged as she looked over the buildings.  “But now we can’t leave.”

“And no one but Mr. Schnee is coming in.”

“But how are we going to get food if we’re trapped here and everyone’s trapped outside?”

“We made sure to pack enough essentials to cover everyone for at least another week, but it also means that no one outside can abduct people to force them back into the mines.  That was our biggest concern.”

“They can do that?!”

“As long as no one bothers to stop them they can do just about anything,” the ravenette stated nonchalantly as she shrugged.  “It’s nothing new.”

The brunette shuddered as she let out a shaky exhale.  “I didn’t realize that.”

“That’s why I’m certain we’ll be successful here.  Mr. Schnee’s the only one that’s not in agreement.”

“So, wait, Ironwood’s on our side?  How do you know that?”

The ravenette turned back towards Ilia with eyes narrowed suspiciously.  “Do you… don’t you know?”

“Knooow what?”

“Ilia,” the ravenette barely managed to speak as the chuckles got in her way.  “General Ironwood and Mr. Copperhead both attended this academy to be huntsmen.  They were even on the same team.”

“Wait, what?!”

“You really didn’t know?!”

The brunette paused before she hid her face in her knees as she thought back to her schooling life.

_Your parents must be doing something very important for General Ironwood, right?_

“No… I didn’t know.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!  I assumed you must have known since… well…”

“You’re fine.  I mean, I knew that Mr. Copper attended school here, I just… I didn’t realize he knew General Ironwood like that.”

“Yeah, he did.  At least, that’s what my dad told me.  He said he met Mr. Copper when he was doing a protest outside Vacuo.  It had turned violent and ended up attracting a lot of Grimm.  He didn’t think any of them would make it but then a dark-haired man with short daggers extending from the inside of his wrists cut through the monsters.  He and two others were investigating the area and noticed the large mass of Grimm so they fought back.  I think Dad said that their team name was pronounced Joker so, JOCR?  Anyways, after they drove off the humans explaining that their violence was inviting the Grimm and Ironwood introduced his team to my grandfather the dark-haired man kicked one of the dissipating Grimm corpses.  Saying something like with only three members they were simply a ‘joke’ now.  Dad actually said he didn’t fully understand that team name they were given.  From what he remembered they were all exceptionally serious, maybe even bordering on broody.”

The brunette hugged herself tighter as she imagined Mr. Copper discussing something serious as her father would simply stick his tongue out at the notion.  That always made her laugh.

“Ilia?  Are you okay?”

“Huh?”  The brunette turned to look at her blue arms before they reached to wipe at her wet cheeks.  “I-It’s nothing!  I was just-”

She looked at the ravenette as she held nothing but concern for Ilia as the young girl turned back to the skyline.  “I just didn’t know that…”

The ravenette hummed a nod as she turned back towards the buildings.  “Well, regardless, I know that even though Mr. Copper retired he still keeps in contact with General Ironwood which is why my father wanted him to start a White Fang chapter out here but…”

She released a sigh as she shook her head, allowing the silence to fill in the rest of the story she didn’t have the words to complete.

“Is that why you hate Mr. Copper?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just…” the brunette paused, trying to hide the squirms that worked their way through her body while she tried to find the right words.  “Well, you just… didn’t seem to… like… him… very much.  You know… when you first got here.”

Amber orbs watched the brunette blankly as she offered a sheepish smile.  Eventually the ravenette sighed as she shook her head.  “I really hoped I wasn’t being that obvious.”

“Really?  You seemed rather upfront about it.”

She gave a soft squeal at the narrowed amber gaze before the ravenette turned back chuckling to herself.  “I guess I was being rather rude.  I just didn’t get it though.  He could’ve been doing so much to help the faunus here, even before this happened, so why did he wait until now?  Why wasn’t he trying harder to make change?”

_It’s because people are scared of you, isn’t it?_

_Cobra, I know you have… contacts… but, I mean, I can’t afford that._

The brunette hugged herself tighter as she tried to squeeze the memories out of herself.  “I think he was worried no one would listen to him.”

“Yeah, but every movement has to start _somewhere_.  Even if he was the only one, it only takes one to _start_ a movement.  Then momentum starts building and eventually you get an unstoppable force that can topple kingdoms.”

“But it isn’t like that!  No one would trust Mr. Copper because they don’t think he’s a real faunus!  Just like how… how I’m not…”

“Hey!”

Both gazes turned towards the voice before the brunette wiped at her unshed tears as the newcomer scratched the back of his head.  “Sorry, was I interrupting something?”

“No!”  The brunette responded quickly, trying hard to ignore the concerned amber gaze that was boring into her.  “No, we’re… it’s fine.  Was there something you needed?”

“Oh, right, well breakfast is ready and I couldn’t find you two in the courtyard so I kinda-“

“That sounds good!”  The ravenette responded as she bounced to her feet.  “Come on Ilia, let’s go get some food.”

“Actually, do you mind if I stay up here for a bit?”

The amber gaze turned towards the brunette, looking intently for any reason to argue but the endeavor  seemed pointless.  She released a sigh before she shook her head.  “I suppose, but you might want to make it down sooner rather than later.   They’re offering smaller servings to conserve on rations after all.”

“I know, I just… I’ll be down in a bit.”

Blake simply nodded before she found the stairwell that ran along the side of the rooftop, brushing past the very confused cricket faunus who was left in the wake.

“Well that was… something…” he turned towards the brunette as he headed towards the roof’s edge.  “Are you alright if I hang for a minute?”

“Don’t you need to be down there for breakfast?”

The boy shook his head as he gave a soft smile.  “Kitchen duty staff gets first rations.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”  The brunette nonchalantly responded as she shrugged at the comment.

“By the way, are you sure I wasn’t interrupting something?  Things were looking kinda tense when I arrived.”

“It- it’s all fine… um…”

“Nason… sorry, I never actually gave you my name, did I?”

“Mm-mm,” the brunette hummed as she shook her head.  “Do you know my name?”

“Yeah, no offense, but you got talked about a lot in the mines.”

The brunette groaned as she hugged her knees tightly.  “I wasn’t supposed to draw that much attention to myself.”

“Oh please, a kid waltzing around Mantle in an Atlas prep school uniform?  That’s going to draw attention.”

“Okay, so I didn’t think it through that one time.  I wanted to see my mom and dad.”

“Hey, it’s… it’s whatever now.  I mean, we were just all jealous.  You get to go to school and you have the one faunus who managed to join the Atlesian army at your back?  It just felt so unfair.”

“Did you ever try talking to Mr. Copper.”

“I… I mean… well, how could I!  Most people thought he was a faunus sell-out!  That he was actually working with Atlas and leaking information on us and that’s why he returned.”

“You really thought that about Mr. Copper?”

“Well, I mean, wouldn’t you?!  I mean, who would give up a position as one of General Ironwood’s commanders to live in Mantle?”

_No matter how many Grimm I cut down, Mantle didn’t become any nicer and Atlas didn’t become any fairer._

“What will you do after this?”

The boy laughed lightly as he shook his head.  “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d bother leaving.”

The brunette tilted her head.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean, have you not seen where we are?”  The boy asked as he extended his arms to showcase their current location.  “We’re literally sitting on top of the biggest huntsmen academy in the world!  Where else would I want to be?”

A light giggle escaped the brunette as she looked back to the scene.  “I never would’ve guessed you wanted to be a huntsman.”

“Or a lieutenant.  Honestly, anything where I could be a hero.  Gris always made fun of me, saying I was too small, but I swore I’d make it happen.”

A soft sniffle escaped him as he wiped a tear.

“Have you talked to Mr. Copper about it?”

“I… I mean, well…” he rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head.  “Actually no.  I mean, how am I supposed to bring it up?  Besides, the only time I really talked to him is when he grabbed me by the collar because he thought I was the one who attacked you after he heard you’d run away from camp.”

“That happened?”

“Yeah,” the boy answered breathlessly as the memory itself seemed to rob him of energy.  “To be honest, he kinda scared me.”

“What if I introduced you?”

“Wait, you’d really do that?”

She giggled lightly as she nodded.  “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, I mean, I just… I don’t know!”

A giggle escaped her as she looked over the skyline before the brunette decided that she had been avoiding breakfast for too long.  “Well, I should really go find Blake and get some food.”

“Huh?  Oh, wait!  Can I ask you something?”

The brunette quirked her head but didn’t offer any more prompt than that.  Nason sighed before he peeked his gaze sheepishly back to the brunette.  “Do you mind if I ask… what did you want to do?”

“What did I… want to do?”

“Yeah!  I mean, you were in school out here and everything.  What were you hoping to do afterwards?  What kind of a job?  Where would your house be?  You know, all that.”

“I…” the brunette paused as she gave a sigh.  “I… I honestly wasn’t sure.  I just wanted my parents to be proud of me but…” she hugged one of her elbows as she clenched her eyes shut.  “I don’t know if I could go back.  I just… it didn’t…”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes emitting empathy as he gave a slight squeeze.  “At least the Fang will allow us the choice.  Whether we choose school or not.”

“Yeah…” the word fell before she shook her head to give him a smile.  “Hey, maybe I’ll be a huntress too.”

“Haha, yeah, and then we could be on a team together!”

“And maybe Blake could join us too!”

He laughed harder as he shook his head.  “Man, you really like that Blake person, don’t you?”

The brunette stopped as she stood and blushed for a second.  Hearing that out loud made it feel… _real._   She recollected herself as she puffed her cheeks and turned away with arms crossed.  “She’s just a nice person is all.”

“Sure, sure,” he choked out between laughs.  “Anyways, I guess it doesn’t matter right now.  I mean, once we get things figured out here we can do just about anything.”

The brunette hummed lightly as she tilted her head upwards in thought before giving it a shrug.  “Yeah, I guess we still need to get breakfast huh?”

“Correction, _you_ need to get breakfast.”  He answered with a smile.  “I already ate and came here to make sure you did too.”

The brunette groaned as she slumped past the cricket faunus.  “Alright fine.”

He chuckled lightly as she led him down the stairway before turning her gaze towards where she thought that she and Blake had camped for the night, if camping was even the word.  They never bothered to pitch tents as they simply shared the blankets and tarps that would keep them warm overnight.  It was strange just how even though they literally had nothing now everyone seemed livelier than she had ever seen them during those times she'd wander through Mantle.

“So… the breakfast stand is over this way Ilia.”

“Whuh?”  She turned her head towards where the boy was pointing only to see the mass of crowds compacted in the space she saw ahead.  “Well… I mean…”

He hummed as he tilted his head before turning back towards the crowd and then returning his gaze.  “What’s the problem?”

“Um… I mean, it’s just… Blake!  Right!  I should really look for Blake.  I mean, she’s my marching buddy and everything.”

“Ilia we’ve been trapped here for four days.  I guarantee you that Blake hasn’t gotten very far.”

“I-I know but what if something happened?!  What if she slipped coming down the stairs or got stampeded by the crowd.”

“We would’ve seen her if she had slipped and no one here would be that careless.”

“Well… what if-”

“Ilia?”

Both gazes turned to find the amber one as the ravenette lifted an egg plate.  “I was wondering what was taking you so long, so I figured I’d bring breakfast to you.”

The brunette rushed over as she grabbed the plate and gave the ravenette her most heartfelt smile.  “Thanks Blake.  That means a lot.”

She simply hummed in acknowledgement before turning towards the cricket faunus.  “I am curious about what was holding you up though.”

“We were just talking about the future,” the boy stated nonchalantly as he rested his hands behind his head.  “You know, careers and what-not.”

“Really?  Well that’s inspiring to hear.”

“Psh, how do you go through with a plan as ridiculous as this and not get inspired?”  He asked with a chuckle before his gaze turned serious.  “By the way Blake, what do you think you’ll do when you grow up?”

She tilted her head in question, “What do you mean?”

“Well, what do you think I mean?  I’m not stupid enough to think you’re older than me.  You’ve had to have thought about what you’d do when you’re older.”

“I understand that, but what makes you think I’d wanna do anything other than what I’m already doing now?”

The boy looked up for a moment before he shrugged.  “Guess I never thought of that.  I figured I was so desperate for change that I thought everyone else was too.”

“And that’s why I like what I do now.  I get to inspire change.”

“I can respect that.  I’m thinking of becoming a huntsman.”

“That sounds fantastic!  What are you thinking of doing Ilia?”

The fork clanked as the brunette wiped her mouth before turning back to the gazes who simply looked at her expectantly.  “Um… did you guys need something?”

“Well-”

“Nason!”

All heads turned towards an unfamiliar woman with a goat tail who was waving her arm.  “Get back over here Nason, we got dishes to clean!”

“Oh, uh, yes ma’am!”

He rushed towards the woman before skidding to a halt and turning back around to grab the brunette’s dishes before running back off with a very hurried farewell.  The ravenette laughed as Ilia tried to process what exactly happened as both the cricket faunus and her dishes disappeared in an instant.  She ended up shaking her head before laying back against the tile courtyard.  “I’m sleepy.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” the ravenette answered unconcerned as she took a seat next to the brunette.  “You seem like you haven’t been sleeping too well.”

“I think it’s just hard.  I mean, I know your dad said we could wait till the end of time if we needed to, but I’m not sure if I could.”

The ravenette gave a light laugh as she leaned back on her palms to look up at the sky.  “I know it’s difficult, but we must endure.  Besides, father and I have waited outside of buildings for longer than this.”

“That’s what you always say.”

“Well, we haven’t waited long enough for it to no longer be true.”

Ilia huffed in response as she sat up and crossed her arms.  “Well, it’s gunna have to not be true at some point.”

“Eventually, it might.  But it hasn’t yet.”

The brunette grumbled something unintelligible as Blake loosed a soft giggle.  “Come on, if you’re so bored we can go grab a book.”

“Fine,” the brunette exasperatedly responded before getting up and brushing herself off.  “I think I’m beginning to realize why you like reading so much.”

“It is a good way to pass the time, I will admit.”

The brunette rolled her eyes as they walked through the crowd to find where Blake had stowed away her reading materials for just such an event when voices cut into Ilia’s mind.

_You really like that Blake person, don’t you?_

_Maybe Blake could be on a team with us!_

“Hey…  Blake?”

“Yeah?”

The brunette hugged one of her elbows as she let her gaze drop slightly.  “I… I was just wondering… what-”

“OUT OF MY WAY YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!!!”

“HEY-!!!”

The shout was paused as the ravenette took in the sight of the tall wizened man who’s brisk stride betrayed his whimsical stature.  He shouted just as rudely to the guard who opened the gate for the man as the crowd of humans outside parted at the sight of him.  The brunette simply stared on in confusion as Blake stood awestruck by the man.

“Blake?  What’s going on?  Who was that?”

“You mean you don’t know him?”

The brunette simply hummed as she shook her head while Blake turned her gaze back to where the man left.

“That was Jacques Schnee.  The current owner of the Schnee Dust Company.  If he’s leaving like that then-”

The doors opened triumphantly as Ghira Belladonna walked through them flanked by General Ironwood and Mr. Copper on either side of him.  The crowd was immediately drawn to them as the courtyard was flooded with whispered wonderments and curious ears.

“My fellow faunus!”  The man addressed with arms outspread and sheer joy upon his face.  “We have convinced Mr. Schnee to relinquish his hold on Mantle and return us to the kingdom of Atlas.”

The crowd roared as there was an eruption of cheers, tears and screams of joy as the general stepped forward to address them.

“I apologize for the neglect that Atlas has bestowed upon Mantle.  I will return with you to Mantle to evaluate the living conditions of the houses there and create plans for renovating them to Atlesian living standards.”

The brunette watched on in awe as the crowds continued to cheer, the general’s words getting drowned out as he led them out the gates.  Led them through the kingdom, as guards cleared a path for them to get to the nearest train station where the general commanded the conductor to lead them all back to Mantle.  She took a seat next to Blake on the last train where she could see Ironwood, Ghira and Cobra discussing further plans once they got to the fallen suburb, but Ilia didn’t pay attention to any of that.  Everything felt blank until she wandered through the urban wasteland, finding soldiers surrounded by broken chains as the houses that were barricaded were suddenly opened and the brunette ran forward.  She didn’t even realize she had separated herself from the crowd as she ran across the familiar streets, streaming through the empty neighborhood until she arrived at just the place she was looking for.

“Mom!  Dad!”

The door swung slightly as a breeze blew by.  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the same empty dinner table that would be in every other house, but that wasn’t what gave it away.  It was the _smell_.  The musty smell of unrefined dust that clung to their clothes and stained the walls.  That always made the boiler room in the school feel more homelike to the girl than her dorm room.  She crumpled to her knees as she let her tears roll to the floor.  To her _parent’s_ floor.  And that was when it had finally hit her.

She had finally returned home.


	9. A Flush of Grey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, happy Pride! Sorry I'm a little later than usual, I got distracted by parades and rainbows and what not. In other news I started an original fic called Super Gay Girl. It wasn't necessarily for Pride, but I'm glad I got it out before then. Anyways, feel free to check it out, now for the next installment of Collidescope! Read, comment kudos and enjoy!

Days passed by… Or… wait, was it weeks?

Sometimes she had a hard time keeping track.

She had forgotten how the days seemed to blur together on Mantle.  There was no one reminding you that you had this class on Monday or this assignment due on Thursday or that the weekend was coming up.

Weekends didn’t feel like a thing on Mantle.

That’s not to say that things weren’t improving because they most certainly were, it’s just that they had to work to make those improvements happen.  They did have to reopen the mine and continue the dust trade, however, now that Mantle was part of Atlas, the profits made from the dust mines had to be used for the reconstruction of Mantle.  At least, that’s what Mr. Copper said.  She didn’t pay attention to all the details that he told her, she just understood that her home would be fixed.  And that was fantastic news, but she still couldn't help but feel a little lost within all the changes.  This was turning into a time where a faunus had the right to pick their own path, to choose what they wanted to do.

She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do.

Nason finally talked to Mr. Copper about becoming a huntsman.  At first, Mr. Copper laughed which caused Nason to feel super self-conscious, but then with a friendly hand on his shoulder and a smile he told him he’d do everything he could to make it happen.  Ilia was sure that it was because Nason was a lot like how Mr. Copper was as a kid.

They were both people who wanted to change the world.

It took time so she and Nason decided to tour the mine, but it didn’t last long.  They just couldn’t stomach the idea of working in a place that killed the people most important to them.  That killed the people who gave their _lives_ to keep them out of those mines.

So they became cart pushers.

At least, Ilia was full time.

The community felt so together, Atlesian soldiers were working with construction workers to renovate the place as people from the White Fang helped with mining or cart pushing or whatever it took to push Mantle forward.  As forward as she was pushing the cart to try to get it to the docks so that the dust could be shipped.  The cart she pushed was a lot smaller than the one Nason was pushing the first time she saw him pushing, but it also allowed her to push it by herself without too much strain.

“Yo!   Ilia!”

She looked over her cart as the familiar cricket faunus leaned casually on the edge of the cart.  “Miss me?”

“No but the cart did,” she answered with a smile.  “Help me out, kay?”

“Ugh fine,” he answered with an eyeroll as he began to pull the cart with one hand.  “I feel like you’ve become a lot more demanding since I started going to school.”

“Hey, you said that you wanted to keep doing this because it was good training!”  The brunette whined as she rushed ahead to be next to the boy.  “By the way, I like your new outfit.”

“Thanks!”  He looked himself over, he wore a navy blue vest that showed the muscles he was gaining from all his training, with black straps crossing in an ‘X’ with slots for dust pellets to be stored.  He wore long-sleeved black pants and boots to match with the entire entourage making him look like an official huntsman.  The brunette couldn’t help but smirk at the outfit though.  Other than a tan vest and leather bracers that popped out hidden blades his outfit was an exact copy of Mr. Copper’s huntsmen uniform.

“Have you decided what weapon you’re using?”

“Actually, I just forged my weapon today.”

“Really?!  What is it?!”

“You’ll just have to wait until we’re finished with work.”

“Aw,” the brunette pouted as she slumped her shoulders.  “Are they leather bracers?”

“Nope, but you can keep guessing.”

“Ugh, I’ll wait.”

He dragged the cart into the warehouse and lined it up for the shipping process before pulling the largest cart he could find to push.  “Anyways, grab a cart, we still gotta supply to the miners.”

“Yeah yeah,” the brunette mumbled as she grabbed another small cart.  She would’ve helped Nason push his, but he would’ve refused the help since a huntsman has to be at the peak of their strength at all times.  “I feel like you’ve become more smug since you started going to school.”

“Maybe I was always smug and you just didn’t know it.”

The brunette rolled her eyes at that one, it wouldn’t have surprised her if that was the case.  Regardless they continued on in their task.  It was only for about another two hours that they were transporting carts to and from the mines before the miners were released for the evening.  They returned the last cart they needed to before heading back to the mine and waiting on Mr. Copper who would work shipping in the morning and mining in the later shift.

Well, at least Ilia was waiting.

Nason snuck off, the brunette not necessarily knowing where he’d gone, but also understanding that he wouldn’t have gone far.  She watched the faces as they walked by.  They weren’t all wearing the same burlap rags that were given to every faunus living in Mantle.  Now they were wearing actual clothes, like t-shirts and jeans, or cargo pants or really whatever they wanted!  Of course, they weren’t the _nicest_ clothes like the high-end fashions one would find in Atlas, but no one cares to be the best dressed in a mine.  They were all just excited to have regular clothes at this point.

She hugged herself a little tighter.  It was incredible having regular shoes, an actual jacket and jeans to wear while she waited.  It was hard working in a kingdom that was so cold, she had no idea how everyone else did it but, then again, Blake had no idea how they simply lived there.

She gave a light giggle at the thought before a familiar face emerged from the cavern mouth and she ran towards him.  “Mr. Copper!”

She rushed in to give his leg one of the biggest bear hugs she could manage as a light yellow glow lit her skin.  “Hi.”

“Hey kiddo… where’s Nason?”

She gave a light giggle before she took a few steps back.  “Well…”

“YAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

WHOMF

The snake faunus snatched the kid out of the air by the wrist as he rose the boy to be eye-level with him.  “If you’re trying a sneak attack, you should really keep your voice down.”

The boy groaned before the man dropped him gracelessly to the ground.  “Now, let’s get going.  Dinner doesn’t cook itself y’know.”

The brunette cheered as the cricket faunus rose slowly to grumble softly to himself as he walked behind the duo with Ilia moving towards the snake faunus.

“Say, Mr. Copper, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh on him?”

“He can handle it,” the man stated offhandedly.  “And if he can’t then he’ll have to learn how.”

“Oh, I can handle anything you throw at me,” the cricket faunus stated confidently as he caught up.  “Just wait till you see what I have to show you at tonight’s sparring practice.”

“Oh yeah!  Nason just forged his weapon today!”

“Is that so?”  The man stated nonchalantly.  “Then all the more reason to get through dinner and get you whupped into shape.”

“Oh you don’t know what you’re getting into,” the boy stated with a wide grin.  “I’m gonna get you tonight.”

“We’ll see.”

The banter continued, happening all the way down until they finally made it to their current residence.  With construction happening, the town had basically been divided into thirds so that there were still houses for them to stay in while the others got renovated.  They ended up living in the mining district.  Mr. Copper had recommended they stay where his place was in the shipping district since it had been mostly renovated, but Ilia seemed so determined to stay in her old house, at least until it was renovated.

So they stayed in her parents’ old house and although her parents were gone, she had found that she was far from alone.  She had plenty of family to go around.

“Blake!”

The familiar ravenette turned towards the door before quickly turning away.  “Hey…”

The brunette tilted her head in question before she stopped in the middle of the room.  “Blake, what’s up?”

“It’s nothing.”

The answer came too quickly as the brunette moved closer.  “What’s going o-”

“I made dinner!”

The burly man walked out of the kitchen in an apron with a steaming pot that he placed on the table.  “Everyone, please help yourselves.”

“Ghira, you shouldn’t have-”

“Alright, food!”

The cricket faunus rushed forward to serve himself up a meal as the snake faunus scowled behind him.  “Ghira, I told you that you don’t have to cook around here, I got it covered.”

“You’ve got shipping, mining, renovating and training covered as well.  You ought to let someone else help with the load, you’re all but running Mantle at this point.”

“Blake, what’s going on?”

“…”

Dinner basically worked its way in in this style.  Nason scarfing down as much food as possible while Mr. Copper would scold him before turning back to Ghira and discussing the current situation as all of Ilia’s attention was focused on Blake.  On the small ravenette who was being so quiet, avoiding all eye contact as she stared down at her soup that she poked and prodded.  Blake had never been this quiet before, at least, not around her.

“Hey…”

“Well, that was delicious!”

“Kid, where are your manners.”

“What?  It’s not like you cooked the dinner,” the cricket faunus argued as the snake faunus rolled his eyes.  “Thank you for the meal Mr. Belladonna.”

“You are most welcome.”

“Well, don’t get too sappy now Nason,” the snake faunus mentioned with a smirk.  “We still gotta have our spar.”

“And loser has to do dishes!”

The man chuckled before motioning to shake on it.  “It’s a deal.  So that only leaves one question.  Weapons, or no weapons.”

“Weapons of course.”

“Wah, Nason, are you sure?”  The brunette piped in as she leaned over.  “I mean, you can’t even beat Mr. Copper without weapons.”

“Exactly!  Which means that if I want to beat him then I can’t hold back.”

“Actually, I think it’s a good idea,” Mr. Copper responded as he leaned back in his chair.  “Your weapon should compliment your natural fighting style, so it’ll be good to see what style you’re going for.”

“Alright, just you wait, I’ll be out back!”

He rushed out the door as the snake faunus released a sigh.  “I’m way too old to be chasing kids.”

“I think it’s good you’re doing this though.  It gives him hope in the future, and everyone else hope in possibilities.”

“Yeah sure,” the snake faunus answered back while stretching his back.  “Well, looks like I gotta show this kid what being a huntsman's all about.  If anyone else is interested your all welcome to watch.”

The burly man laughed before rising from his place.  “Well, I suppose it behooves us to be supportive of Nason’s dream now doesn’t it?”

The brunette turned hopefully towards the ravenette who’s amber gaze peaked at her for a split second before turning away and releasing a sigh.  “Sure.”

The brunette beamed a smile as she rushed towards the door and held it open for the two other audience members as they exited to see the two in the street, stretching and preparing for the fight of their lives.  At least, the fight of Nason’s life.  They all knew better than to think that Mr. Copper fighting someone half his age was nowhere near a life intensive challenge, but he still gave it his all.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, no semblances by the way.”

“Psh, that’s boring.”

The cricket faunus gave a smirk as he gave his arms a final stretch.  “Yeah, I’m sure that brainwashing people to do whatever you want gets pretty boring.”

“It does take the excitement out of a real fight,” the snake faunus admitted as he fitted on his bracers before giving a nod.  “So, what did you bring for show and tell?”

“Only the greatest thing to ever grace your presence,” the boy stated snarkily as he turned around.  “You ready?”

“Are you ready?  You’ve done nothing but talk since we got out here.”

“Then I’d better let these babies start talking for me!”

He turned around as he raised his now gloved fists.  The gloves were black, but they had blue plates etched into them to provide protection as well as a heavier hit.  “What do you think?”

“Honestly, I think those are pretty uncreative.”

The boy pouted slightly as he looked his gloves over.  “Well, I’ve been pushing dust carts all my life so I figured I'd have the upper body strength to fight well in these.  Besides, you told me to play to my strengths.”

The man gave a quick ‘hmph’ as he got into position.  “I think I’ll trade uncreative for smart.  You ready for this?”

“Yeah,” Nason stated lowly as he let out a deep exhale.  “Let’s do this.”

They stood still for a moment, both waiting for the other to make the first move before Nason’s patience wore out.  He ran forward, preparing a right jab to Mr. Copper’s abdomen as the man stood stock still before thrusting his hand forward, the hidden dagger in his leather bracer extending forward as the boy used his momentum to roll to his right and rise to deliver a high kick.  The man used his left arm to block the kick and spun, the momentum causing the boy to lose balance momentarily as Mr. Copper brought down the dagger extending from his right wrist on the boy.

The boy grabbed his wrist.  Stopping the dagger that was mere inches away from his face as he gritted his teeth.  The man gave a soft scoff before raising Nason to be eye level.  “That wasn’t too smart.”

He launched his left hand forward as the hidden dagger stabbed into Nason’s aura and launched him down the street as he rolled to a stop.

“Even if you’ve got years of experience pushing carts, you still need to remember that you’re not quite as strong as I am.”

The boy spat on the ground as he wiped the gravel off his cheek.  “Who says I need to be stronger?”

Nason slowly rose as the man got back into position, waiting for the boy and his next plan of action.  The cricket faunus turned towards his mentor, taking a deep breath before rushing forward.  He stared straight ahead, watching as Mr. Copper ran to meet him, preparing for them to clash in the middle as Mr. Copper raised his leg for a kick before Nason was gone.

Mr. Copper looked around, Nason didn’t dodge to either side of him, he looked to see the boy soaring down from the sky readying a punch.  He crossed his daggers to block the attack before the boy’s momentum paused right in front of the daggers and lowering to deal a number of quick jabs to the man’s abdomen.  Mr. Copper tried to catch the boy but Nason ducked under the hold to back handspring away.

“I thought you said no semblances?”

“That wasn’t a semblance,” the boy stated as his cricket wings buzzed behind him.  “I’m just learning to use what I’ve got better.”

The man laughed as the audience was in awe.  None of them thought that those fragile looking cricket wings could be much help in a fight, but they enhanced his speed and jumping ability immensely.  They watched as Nason ran up to Mr. Copper to start another barrage of attacks at thrice the speed with which he naturally ran.  The battle continued, each throwing a mass of attacks at the other as they matched each other at inhuman speed, Nason with his cricket wings and Mr. Copper with his years of training.  Eventually, Mr. Copper planted his feet as he readied a final attack.

“This ends here!”

His right hand thrust forward with its dagger extended as the cricket faunus stepped back before sending a force palm towards his opponent.

SWOOOSH

Mr. Copper looked down at himself as he struggled to move from his spot.

He was now frozen in place.

“You know Nason, I don’t think I recall dust use being allowed in this fight.”

The boy shrugged as he gave a sincere smile.  “Well, neither one of us said it couldn’t be used in this fight either.”

The man laughed before his copper aura illuminated around his body, shattering the ice form that encased him.  “I suppose we didn’t.  Well, I suppose that’s a wrap then.  I’d better get to dishes.”

“Wait, what?  But, neither of our auras have-!”

“I know this fight can keep going, but I think you deserve this victory.  Just know that these little tricks you pulled I’ll know to expect in the next sparring session, so don’t expect them to save you.”

“O-Okay.”

“Also, next time there will be no restrictions.  Aura, dust, weapons, semblances, all are open for use from now on when we spar.”

“Wah, but how am I supposed to defend against-?”

“You’re just going to have to figure it out.  It may seem unfair, but you may have to fight against someone with a mind based semblance as a huntsman, which means that you’ll want to learn how to defend yourself from it.”

“Uh… okay…” the boy mumbled as Mr. Copper returned inside the house.  “I-I’ll show you!  You’ll see!”

The man snickered as Ghira entered the house with him while Ilia ran towards the boy.  “Holy crow Nason, that was incredible!  When did you learn that your wings could do that?!”

“Huh?  Oh, it was during a sparring session earlier today,” he managed to explain.  “After that I was basically spending the entire day getting it under control.”

“Oh my gosh, that is soooo cool!  Right Blake?!”

She turned back towards the porch only to find that the ravenette wasn’t there anymore.  “Huh?”

“Maybe she went inside already.”

“Maybe… say, Nason… has Blake been seeming weird to you?”

“Weird in what way?”

“I mean, disappearing like this, not talking to us.”

“Well, she doesn’t really talk to me all that much anyway.”

“Not helpful Nason,” the brunette finally sighed as she turned back to the door.  “I just feel like she’s not talking to me.”

“Any idea why?”

“Of course not!  It’s not like she’s _telling_ me why she’s not talking to me!”

“Alright, alright!  Yeesh, why are you complaining to me if your problem’s with Blake anyway?”

“Because you’re actually talking to me.”

The boy sighed as he placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder.  “Sorry, that was pretty rude.”

Ilia folded her arms as she released a grumble.  “I just don’t know what to do.”

“What if I talk to her?”

“You’ll just make it worse.”

“Psh, you say that as if asking her why she won’t talk to you is a bad idea!”

“Because it is!  I know because I’ve tried that like ten times already!”

“Kids!”

Both of them turned towards Mr. Copper who was staring at them from the doorway.  “What are you two still doing out here?  You should be getting ready for bed.”

“Er… right…”

“Right away sir!”

The brunette grumbled as the boy rushed in right after his salute.  He acted like Mr. Copper was a drill sergeant every day, which was a little strange since Mr. Copper was way too laid back for any sort of position like that, but Nason wanted to be as ready for whatever life his schooling would bring him, whether that was military or a huntsman.

She released a sigh as she passed through the main door.  It was fantastic that Nason had a dream and was in school to work toward it and was so excited about it and everything, she truly was happy for him.  Of course, there was a gnawing frustration that seemed to dig into her that had been there ever since they got their home back.  She still didn’t know what she was going to do.

She entered her room and looked in the corner.  She always thought it was strange that Blake still sat in the same corner she had when she first entered the house all that time ago.  Well… Mr. Copper’s house, but the layout was the same so pointing out which house it was defeated the point of the statement.  She continued to sit in that corner with her face in a book as her amber gaze wasn’t quick enough at not getting caught before flickering back to the pages.

“Hey Blake.”

“Mmmm.”

The brunette’s expression faltered with the answer as she moved to sit next to the ravenette.  “What’cha reading about?”

“The Mistralian expansion.”

“Oh,” the brunette answered lightly.  “Have you been to Mistral?”

“Yes.”

“I see…” the brunette let the phrase hang for a moment as she drummed her fingers against the floorboards.  “What’s Mistral like?”

The ravenette slammed the book shut as the brunette jumped in place.  “Ah-I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to upset you, I just wanted to talk and-”

“Don’t,” the ravenette interrupted with a deep inhale before releasing an equally deep sigh.  “Don’t apologize, I just…” she looked over the cover of her book as her fingers ran across the dried ink.  “Ilia, I’m-”

“Aw!  That feels so much better!”

“Nason!”

“Yeah?”  The boy asked obliviously as he continued to dry his hair with a towel, watching Blake’s slightly amused expression and Ilia’s hot pink features.  “Oh, um… was I interrupting something?”

“Ye-!”

“Not at all Nason.  It’s good to see you’re doing well.”

“Bu-!”

Her thought was interrupted when she felt the ravenette’s hand curl around her own as she turned to the amber gaze.  There was a slight squeeze of her hand and a nod that let her know that the conversation wasn’t over, or worst, lost.  The brunette melted in the contact slightly, the hand letting her know that Blake was still there.  That Blake was still her friend.  That she hadn’t lost Blake yet.

“Yeah,” the brunette answered breathlessly before turning back towards their newest arrival.  “We were just talking.  No biggie.”

“Oh,” he answered as his eyes glanced towards their conjoined hands before giving a shrug.  “Well, that’s good to hear.”

“How was your bath?”

“Meh,” he answered as he flopped onto his mattress.  “I mean, it’s not as nice as the showers they have at the school, but then again Mr. Copper claims that a cold bath builds character!”

“You say that everything Mr. Copperhead tells you to do builds character.”

“You know, I’ve known Mr. Copper all my life and I don’t think he’s ever told me if anything would build my character or not.”

“Well… yeah, but you weren’t trying to get into combat school!”  The boy tried to argue as he rolled on his mattress so that he could face them.  “If you wanna get into combat school, you have to have a lot of character!  Mr. Copper said so!”

The two girls looked at each other before they burst into laughter.

“He’s messing with you.”

“He’s definitely messing with you.”

The cricket faunus pouted at the two before he flopped back onto his mattress with his hands behind his head.  “Say whatever you two like, but you don’t know what it’s like to be taking combat classes with people half your age.  I have to work twice as hard to get to the point that I would’ve been if I were a human, and thrice as hard to convince the humans I’m worth the effort.”

“Wow, are things that bad in Atlas?”

“Of course they are Ilia,” he answered flippantly as he turned towards the brunette.  “Ironwood may be making the schools accept faunus applications, but he can’t make the teachers like it.  And boy do they like to let people know they don’t like it.”

“But you’re attending now, that’s something.”

“And I’m gunna make them change their mind about faunus,” the boy said as he turned around.  “Besides, Mr. Copper made it through so if he can make it then so can I.”

“Yeah,” the brunette acknowledged uncertainly.  “But he passed for human.”

“So what?”  The boy asked with a shrug.  “Someone’s gotta let the humans know that we’re not all going to hide who we are.  Their just gunna have to change their attitude because I’m not going anywhere, and Ironwood’s gunna take the best he can get regardless.  He knows better.”

A soft smile crossed the brunette’s lips as she laid back on her bed.  “I’m glad to hear things are going well for you.”

“Yeah… what about you Ilia?  Are you planning on staying here or what?”

“Huh?”  The brunette rose to look at the inquisitive green eyes before giving a shrug.  “Oh, I mean… I don’t know…” she turned back towards the ravenette as a soft smile spread across her face.  “I kinda like staying here…”

The ravenette looked back, amber locking onto grey before eventually she released a sigh and sat up.  “Actually, I have something I need to say.”

Both gazes turned towards the ravenette before Ilia began to panic.  “What is it Blake?  What’s going on?”

The ravenette refused to look at them, her hands balling in her lap before she released them.  “I… I’m leaving…”

“What?”

“WHAT!?!?!”

The brunette rose to her feet before standing in front of the ravenette.  “What do you mean you’re leaving?!  You can’t leave!”

“I have to Ilia,” the soft voice came.  “There was an emergency in Mistral-”

“But what about here Blake!”  The brunette cried with arms outspread.  “Who’s going to make sure Mantle gets the renovations promised?  Who’s going to ensure the safety standards in the mines are upkept?  Who’s going to-”

“We know that a lot of change is happening here Ilia, but Mr. Copperhead said he would take care of it along with other volunteers.  They can ensure things go smoothly here.”

“But what if-”

“There’s nothing else to be said Ilia!” The ravenette shouted as she glared at the girl.  “There’s an emergency situation in Mistral and my father was personally requested to be there so I’m going with him.”  The amber gaze fell with black bangs hiding her eyes, but they couldn’t quite hide the quiver in her voice.  “I’m leaving Ilia.  You can’t stop me.”

“Fine…” the brunette answered with a sniffle as tears rolled down her eyes.  “It was stupid of me to actually think you’d care enough to stay anyway.”

“Ilia-!”

She rushed out the door and slammed it shut before running to the outside room where she cried.  Sobbing into the table as her skin turned a deep shade of grey.  She hated being that color, she hated feeling that color.  It was more difficult than being blue, blue was a color of sadness, grey was a color of despair.  She just wasn't ready to be alone again, but it didn't matter.  Blake was going to be gone.

And she was going to be all alone again.


	10. A Sprinkle of Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the July update! It feels strange that summer's flying by, but that just means the next volume of RWBY's coming up, so looking forward to that. Anyways, here's the next chapter of Collidescope! Please read, comment, kudos and enjoy!

She couldn’t believe this.

Of course, she _knew_ this was bound to happen.  In her rational mind she was certain that this was inevitable, but her heart didn’t care about what her rational mind thought.  Didn’t care that Blake had to keep fighting with the White Fang when it took her far away.  Her heart just wanted Blake to stay!

She wiped the tears from her eyes.  She was being overdramatic.  Even if Blake left she’d be far from alone, she had Mr. Copper and Nason to look after after all, but Blake was different.

What made Blake so different?

“Hey kid.”

She turned hurriedly towards the voice before slumping back down into her arms.  “Hey Mr. Copper.”

“What’s go you so down?  I’m the one who has to do dishes.”

She grumbled unintelligibly as the man patiently waited for a coherent answer.  He didn’t stay too long before shrugging and moving towards the sink.  The water ran, causing the sound of splashes to be the only audible sound in the room before the brunette clutched her elbows tightly.

“Blake’s leaving.”

“Ah,” Mr. Copper answered back as he turned off the sink to scrub the plate he had grabbed ahold of.  “I see Blake told you about Mistral then.”

“Yeah…” Ilia answered solemnly.  “Well, she told me that there was an emergency in Mistral, but I don’t care too much about what happened.  I just don’t want her to leave.”

“I know you’ve grown close with Blake, Ilia, but she’s devoted to the White Fang.  So, devoted she shows up to our house when she’s not invited.”

“But I’m glad she showed up!”

A breathy laugh escaped Mr. Copper as he set aside the plate to get working on a cup.  “Honestly, so am I.  I wasn’t sure how I’d deal with her, but she seemed to take to you right away.  Helped her forget that she was supposed to spend every minute she’d be in Mantle glaring at me.”

“Blake doesn’t hate you anymore, you know?”

“Well, I’m glad my approval rating improved,” Mr. Copper answered as his chuckles dies down.  “But, well, that’s just who Blake is.  She’s passionate.”

“I know that, it’s just… urgh, it’s just not fair!”

“Life’s not fair kid.  And life’s even more ‘not fair’ when you’re a faunus.  Which is why the Fang’s going to Mistral to remind the kingdom that it’s not fair to limit the amount of unfairness humans face and leave the rest of the unfairness for the faunus to deal with.”

Ilia tilted her head for a moment.  “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Life rarely does.”

An unamused grumble was Ilia's response as she stared at the cupboards ahead.  “What took you so long to get to dishes anyway?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?”  Mr. Copper asked as he continued to scrub the large pot that was used for dinner.  “If Ghira’s leaving then I’m left in charge with everything to do with Mantle.  We can’t rest on our laurels just because the head Fang leader is leaving, we have to remain on top of the changes, otherwise they’ll stop mid-way.”

Ilia hummed.  “But isn’t Ironwood on our side?  So, wouldn’t he make sure the repairs remained on schedule regardless of whether Mr. Belladonna was here or not?”

“I may know him well enough, but that doesn't mean he’s on our side.  He’ll be sure to let you know any chance he gets that he’s on the side of Atlas.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It depends on the issue presented.  Dust is the most important resource that Atlas develops, and if there’s something that threatens that export then he’s going to do whatever it takes to get that export back.  The greatest argument we could use against him was that every day the dust shortage went on was also another day that Atlas couldn’t experiment on it, whether for it’s energy output, or mech experiments or whatever else they use it for.”

Ilia simply groaned in her arms as the man set aside the pan.  “Thankfully, as long as we're the one's who work the mine we're the one's who can choose to supply it or not.  It helps with getting Ironwood on our side, but that doesn't mean he'll have our back on every issue.”

The brunette thought back to Nason who was so excited to be part of the Atlesian Huntsmen Academy, speaking so highly of General Ironwood for his support of faunus rights.  She wondered how he’d feel about the conversation they were having right now.

“What was he like?”

“Hm?”

“You know, General Ironwood,” Ilia clarified as she raised her head.  “Blake said you were on the same team before.”

He scoffed at the notion as he finished scrubbing out the last bowl.  “Figures she’d tell you about that.”  He drained the sink before taking a seat across from Ilia.  “Well, if you're truly curious I could tell you, but honestly there’s not much to say.  He really hasn’t changed that much since we were in school.  He’s still the cunning general he always was, it’s just now he is in title as well as demeanor.”

“Weren't you friends though?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily go that far… exactly.  We worked together, he was our commander, and sure he was _friendly_ , but… well, I think it was just a difference in taste.  He believed that Rusty and I spent too much time goofing off and we thought he was too stiff.  We still got along but he just seemed so… formal.  _All the time_ formal.  It made it feel like he always kept a barrier around himself to leave everyone on the outside, but I think he just figured that’s what it takes to be a good general.”

Ilia hummed as she stared down at the table.  “Did you enjoy being a huntsman?”

He gave a chuckle as he shook his head.  “I thought that Rusty and I would be changing the world but… well… he left,” he released a sigh as he drummed his fingers against the counter.  “It may have been selfish, but… being a huntsman felt pretty pointless if Rusty wasn’t there.  If he was just going to come back to the slums then what was the point in fighting for better?”

Silence settled over the room, both lost in their own thoughts as the night continued to pass them by.

“I still don’t know what to do.”

The man got up as he moved to ruffle her hair.  “Do what your heart tells you to.”

Ilia simply groaned as she slumped back in her seat.  As if it were that easy.  Mr. Copper gave an exaggerated yawn before he walked towards the doorway.  “Well, I’m going to head to bed, is there anything you need before I go?”

Ilia shook her head as she hummed a negative.

“Well, if that’s the case, have a good night Ilia.  And try to get to bed soon.”

“Yeah…”

She could practically feel the shrug Mr. Copper gave before he left the room.  Living with him was far different from living with her parents.  Her parents would never let her stay up late whenever she felt like, but Mr. Copper didn’t seem too concerned, possibly because Nason would always make sure she was in bed because ‘a proper huntsman must always be fully rested’ or some nonsense like that.  Not to say that she didn’t appreciate Nason’s concern, but she was more than capable of getting herself to bed and waking up on time _without_ his help, no matter how much he wanted to believe that his presence was turning her life around.  He was so desperate to be the hero that the Ilia couldn’t help but find it humorous, but was this really the life she wanted?  Living with Nason and Mr. Copper as she pushed carts for a living?   But what else could she do?

_Do what your heart tells you to do_

She scoffed, hearts don’t talk, she was in school long enough to know that.

_You really like that Blake person, don’t you?_

Of course she did!  Blake was beautiful and gentle and kind, no matter how she responded or what was going on, Blake always took the time to make sure she was okay.

_I’m here for you no matter what_

She stilled for a moment, staring ahead at the cupboards before the answer became perfectly clear.

She wanted to be with Blake.

She wanted to continue to practice her aura on the beach.  She wanted to flick paint the ravenette as they created a sign for a nearing protest.  She wanted to tell Blake about the school in Atlas where she would sneak to the roof with her human friend to watch the night sky.  She wanted to watch the sunrise in Menagerie with Blake right by her side.

She paused for a moment.  What would the sunrise look like in Mistral?  Blake had never told her about Mistral before, but her schooling told her a little about it.  A large kingdom with the main city wedged in a mountain as the fields beyond supplied more food to the world than all the other kingdoms combined.  Something about the climate there with its large area allowed the kingdom to basically pick their crop as long as they were in the right location.  She wondered if the sun would rise over the crops from the mountain.  Would the sun be clear there?  Blake said that Menagerie had no clouds, but clouds would be necessary to bring rain to crops right?  So what did the sunrise look like in Mistral?

…

She wanted to find out.

She was _going_ to find out.

…

But she couldn’t let anyone know.

So, what should she do?  Should she pack?  No!  Nason and Blake were in her room and would definitely hear.  That and who knows if Blake was even going to sleep or if she had to stay up all night preparing and studying for the Mistral trip.  Of course, if she had been to Mistral before then why was she reading up on it?

“Are you ready to head Blake?”

Ilia dove towards the nearest wall and as she shifted her skin to the greying-brown color of the wall.  They were heading out?  _A_ _lready?_

“I guess so.”

The voice was strewn with such sadness that Ilia was half-tempted to leave her post and ask why she was so sad.  She got to go to Mistral, to continue the fight for the White Fang, to bring equality to all!

“You know, Mr. Copper said that you could stay if you’d like.  You can still do some good here.”

“I know… but after what happened in Mistral…” there was a pause, Ilia swearing she could hear the ravenette shudder before finishing her answer.  “They need everyone they can out there.  I can’t turn a blind eye to that.”

“This isn’t your burden to bear Blake.”

“If I don’t carry this burden then who else will?”

There was silence for just a split moment before Blake’s voice rose again.  "Come on, we need to get to our ship.  Isn’t the reason we’re leaving this late is to avoid suspicion from the humans.”

Her father sighed.  “If this is what you want Blake.  Thank you so much Mr. Copperhead for hosting us.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re both free to stay here anytime.”

There was a cheerful grunt as final farewells were said between the men while Blake remained silent until-

CLICK

This was it, she could do this!  She could be with Blake forever!  She would just have to be careful not to draw their attention.

She snuck to the door, opening it slowly before closing it with as much dexterity as she was capable of before stalking along the fresh prints in the snow.  They were heading towards the docks, not the hidden beach on the Western Coast, that would make planning her route easy.  She rushed through the nearest side alleys, making sure her skin was dark enough to blend in with her surroundings before running straight ahead.  They may have had a lead on her, but she knew Mantle inside and out.  There was no way they’d beat her to the docks.

She rounded a corner before jumping onto the deck and hiding behind the cart house.  She peeked her head around, but she couldn’t find a ship anywhere.  What was going on?  She didn’t miss them, did she?

As if in answer to her question two shadows walked across the dock, they had just arrived.  Good.  She released the breath she held as she watched the two with intrigue before a frightening thought struck her.

What if Blake didn’t want her there?  What if she got mad that Ilia followed them to their ship?

What if she began to hate Ilia?

The brunette fought the tears that threatened to tear through her.  She couldn’t think those things, not now!  Not when she was so determined to stay with Blake and help her fight whatever battle was in Mistral.  To help her fight whatever battle she may ever encounter.  She had to be there for Blake!

Just like how Blake was there for her.

She steeled her resolve as the ship moored in the dock.  She rushed towards the opposite side of it, utilizing crates that were strewn across the dock to make sure no one would find her.  She watched as the two stepped onto the gangway before rushing to the other side.  There was no way she could make it up the gangway without being spotted even with her chameleon traits, but there might have been a window or something she could crawl through.

She got to the side of the ship and inspected it.  No windows whatsoever.  But, there _had_ to be a way on, after all, there were always stories of stowaways that snuck onto ships to get to different places.  Of course, most of the ones she’d heard of were from other students in Atlas discussing what they'd heard in news stories somewhere, but they wouldn’t have discussed it if it weren’t possible right?  She had to think of something.

The ship began to move.  She panicked.  It couldn’t leave yet, she still needed to get on!  She ran with it as it moved.  There had to be something, anything!

Then she saw it, a rope that was hanging over the railing just in reach!  She increased her pace and jumped.

She grabbed it!  She gave a sigh of relief before realizing that the boardwalk was no longer underneath her and the freezing ocean took its place.  She was only now beginning to realize just _how_ bad an idea this was as she began to blow in the wind.  Maybe she could climb?  Nason said that pushing carts increased one’s strength right?  Maybe she'd be strong enough to cli-

Nope!  Bad idea!  The rope slipped right through her grip as the sea water made the rope too slick for her to climb upward.  What was she supposed to do?  She wasn’t strong enough to climb, but she couldn’t stay there forever.  It was difficult enough just holding on!

“BLAAAAAAKE!!!”

She wasn’t sure if it was tears or seawater that was splashing in her face as she cried out for her friend.  She was just determined to not give up.

“BLAAAAAAKE!!!  HEEEEEEEELLLLLLP!!!”

“Is someone out there?!”

She heard the familiar voice that caused her to immediately perk up.  “BLAKE!!!  DOWN HERE!!!”

She watched the familiar cat ears turn in her direction before perking atop her head.  “ILIA?!  WHAT ARE YOU-?!

“BLAKE, HELP!!!”

The cat faunus immediately ran towards the rope and began to tug it upward, but there wasn’t much change in Ilia’s position.  She watched as the Blake continued to strain, beginning to believe that it was a pointless effort before she was hurriedly pulled up.

She crashed against the deck, breathing heavily as she patted the wooden boards beneath her before her heavy breaths turned into a hysterical chuckle.  “I… I made it… I’m here!”

“Ilia?”

“Blake!”

She immediately rushed to hug the ravenette, soaking her friend as she continued to laugh.  “I made it Blake!  I made it on the ship!”

“And what precisely were you thinking?!  Trying to sneak aboard the ship the way you did?!”

The brunette froze.  That was _Ghira’s_ voice.  She stuttered as she turned to see the man who seemed to tower over her more than ever as she shivered.

“I-I’m sorry Mr. Belladonna!  I didn’t mean to trespass!  I just didn’t want Blake to go!”

“I understand your pain, however this behavior is unacceptable!  Running off in the middle of the night and stowing away on this ship!  Does Mr. Copperhead even know you’re here?!”

“Well… no… I mean, he might know!  He did tell me to follow my heart, and all I want to do is keep helping Blake help other people!”

“Wait, you wanna join the White Fang!”

“Of course!”   Ilia shouted as she jumped to her feet.  “I mean, then I’ll get to keep fighting with you right?”

The cat faunus gave a soft smile as Ilia couldn’t help but beam at the expression.  Blake seemed happy to see her there, happy to hear she wanted to keep fighting.  And as long as Blake was happy then maybe, just maybe, this was the right decision after all.

“MR. COPPERHEAD DO YOU KNOW WHERE ILIA IS RIGHT NOW?!?!?!”

“Is this a trick question?”

The brunette panicked as she rushed over to Blake’s father.  “No!  Please, Mr. Belladonna!  You can’t tell him I snuck out!”

“Aw, I see you found Ilia for me, thanks so much Ghira.”

“This isn’t a joke Cobra!”

“Mr. Belladonna-!”

“Ilia snuck onto our ship just as it left its mooring!  She was hanging onto a rope trying to sneak on, she’s lucky she didn’t fall and freeze in the ocean!”

“Wait, that’s how it happened?”  The man on the other line asked as he scratched the back of his head.  “I figured she would’ve asked you.”

Ilia froze as the large man beside her blanched.  “You cannot be serious, you mean you endorsed this behavior?!”

“No, I told you I thought she’d ask to join you!  I just wasn’t going to stop her if that’s what she wanted to do.”

“Mr. Copper…”

There was a pause as the brunette stared at the deck, thinking on how the ship was taking her away from Mantle.  Away from the one person who she could possibly claim was family since he'd helped raise her for as long as her parents had.  Away from her home.

“How you doing there, Ilia?  I heard you had quite the adventure.”

“Mr. Copper,” her voice was soft as she turned away.  “I-I’m sorry.  I should’ve told you I wanted to come here.”

“Psh, you’re fine on that count, of course you should’ve talked to Mr. Belladonna first.  Been a lot safer and a lot less hectic.”

“I know, I just… I was scared he would say no.”

“Well Ghira, do you say no?”

“I… well…” the man in question began to scratch the back of his head.  “Are you sure this is wise Cobra?”

“I’m not the one to talk to about wise, but I think Ilia will be happier with you.  What do you think Ilia?”

Tears began to well in her eyes before she hurried to wipe them.  “Thank you so much Mr. Copper.  I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too kid.  Promise me you’ll write.”

“Of course, Mr. Copper!  I’ll make you proud!”

“You already have kid.  Your parents would say the same thing.”

She fell silent before the tears absolutely gushed out of her.  She covered her face, trying desperately to wipe away the tears that never seemed to dry.  She felt soft hands wrap around her own as she saw the bleary face of the ravenette before feeling a pull.  She followed the tug on her hand, hearing Blake’s dad tell Mr. Copper his final farewell as she followed Blake down the stairs before she was seated on something comfy and arms wrapped around her.

“It’s okay Ilia.  It’s okay.”

She hugged back.  Blake was _here._   Mr. Copper was okay.  Nason would be a huntsman.

It felt like everything was right in the world again.

She wiped her eyes before giving the Blake her most heartfelt smile.  “I’m okay, Blake.  I’m sorry, I just… I’m okay.”

The ravenette gave a smile as she brushed a piece of hair out of the chameleon faunus’ face.  “You’re turning pink.”

“Huh?!”  She began to panic as she looked herself over before Blake laughed.  “There’s nothing to be worried about, it looks pretty.”

“Nason told me I was turning pink a lot recently.”

“Really?  What have you been feeling then?”

Ilia tried to hide it, tried to hug herself into a small ball so that her skin wouldn’t show, but the sight of Blake’s soft smile made the fear go away as her skin simply turned brighter.

“I feel like there’s nothing else I want to do with my life but fight with you.”

Blake gave a soft smile as she held the Ilia's hand.

“I feel exactly the same.”


	11. A Discovery of New Shades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's August! I hope everyone's had an awesome summer, I know I mostly spent mine focusing on writing, but it's what I love doing so it was time well spent. Anyways, here's the next chapter to Collidescope! Please read, comment, kudos and most of all enjoy!

Grey eyes opened wearily, slowly taking in her surrounding as she struggled to focus with the swaying of the room around her.  She still wasn’t used to the rhythmic rocking of the ship she was on while she slept, she had never been on a boat before.  The thought did cross her mind that it wasn't too different from the train that she would ride to and from Mantle on, but such a short ride couldn’t compare to the long ride of the boat.  They had been there for… how long now?  Was this the fourth day?

She shook her head as she gave a yawn.  Days were even more of a blur on a ship as they were on Mantle.  She turned her gaze towards the other side of the bed.

“Hey Blake, you up?”

She felt the blankets around her as her face scrunched in uncertainty.  “Blake?”

She moved the blankets only to realize that the girl in question wasn’t in bed.  She crawled out from under the covers as she landed softly to the floorboards.  Mr. Belladonna didn’t like them sneaking out of their room during night hours, so where could Blake have gone?

She opened the door, quickly looking down the halls to either side of her before tiptoeing towards the stairs.  Other than the deck there wasn’t anywhere she could imagine her companion being.  She opened the door, looking tentatively around before whisper shouting to the open air.

“Blake?... Blake, are you out here?”

“Boo…”

The brunette quickly turned around only to find the familiar amber gaze that crinkled as Blake giggled at her own antics.

“Blake, don’t scare me like that.”

“Oh please, you knew it was me.”

“Well… yeah…” Ilia admitted as she puffed up her cheeks.  “But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t startled.”

Amber eyes rolled as the ravenette took Ilia’s hand.  “I’ll be sure to apologize for that later, but for now you need to get over here.”

“Wah- what’s the rush Blake?”

“Shhh… just watch.”

Grey eyes peered out towards the horizon, not noticing anything of interest until a soft pink sliver clashed against the dark night sky.  Ilia couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.

“You’re turning pink again Ilia.”

The brunette looked herself over before she gave Blake a sheepish look.  She could never understand why she turned pink so often around Blake, but her friend didn’t seem to mind so she figured she wouldn’t either.  She turned her gaze back towards the sky, now with a deep shade of orange spreading across the horizon.

“Maybe I’ll learn to use my colors to make me as pretty as a sunrise.”

A soft giggle escaped Blake as she moved to sit next to the brunette while they watched the sunrise between the railings.  “You’re already pretty, and just as colorful.”

“Really?”

The ravenette nodded as Ilia felt the color deepen in her cheeks before turning away.  Usually, when she turned pink is was because she was embarrassed, but she didn’t think she was embarrassed being around Blake, so why was she turning pink so often?

She still wasn't sure, but she knew she really liked the feeling that being around Blake brought her.

“The sun’s coming.”

Grey eyes rose back to the shimmering ocean, gleaming beneath the half-raised sun that painted the sky beautiful shades of yellow and orange, with pink tinging the clouds that were scattered overhead.  Ilia’s gaze panned the sky as her jaw dropped in awe.

“Wow, all the colors of the sunset are so distinct here.”

“It’s more distinct on the ocean than anywhere else in the world,” Blake answered as she leaned against the railing.  “With no people on the ocean, there’s no one that can create factories to pollute the sky.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Ilia answered as she leaned forward.  “Why didn’t we see this earlier?”

“Because we would never wake up in time to see it, remember?”

“I know…” Ilia paused, moving away from the railing as she looked anywhere but at Blake.  “But, I mean, we could’ve made a plan to watch it or something.”

“I know,” Blake answered softly.  “It’s just difficult keeping track of time around here, and I can never remember what time the sun rises on the ocean anyways.”

Ilia hummed in thought as she leaned against the boards again.  “Well, at least we woke up early today.”

“Yeah… what had you up so early?”

The brunette turned to look at Blake before shrugging.  “I don’t know, I just woke up and was looking for you.”  She looked on at the horizon, the sunrise seeming to shine in the opposite direction of where she had deduced Mantle would be in the Northwest.  “What had you up so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Blake answered honestly as her cat ears flickered slightly.  “I guess it’s a bad habit of mine when I’m on the road.”

“What are you talking about, you haven’t had any trouble sleeping the rest of the trip we’ve been out, have you?”

Blake loosed a chuckle as she shook her head.  “No, I’m fine sleeping on the boat, its just on the last day of it that I start to lose sleep.”

“Wait a minute,” Ilia turned to give the ravenette a skeptical look.  “What do you mean ‘last day?’”

“Well, did you think we’d be on this ship forever?”  Blake asked with a giggle.  “We moor in Mistral today.”

“Oh,” Ilia answered softly as she leaned forward.  “I guess I kinda forgot about that.”

She looked over towards the horizon, the sun now fully risen beyond the ocean now as it floated just above the sea.

“Are you nervous?”

Ilia turned towards the ravenette who simply stared ahead.

“I don’t know… I don’t know what to feel right now.”

“How do you not know what to feel?”

Ilia turned away from the railing as she asked, fully facing her body towards Blake who continued to look anywhere but towards the brunette.

“You didn’t hear about the reports,” Blake answered softly as a humorless chuckle escaped her.  “I swear, sometimes it feels like every time we solve a crisis another one just pops up, and things are always in terrible condition once we get there.”

“Well what happened that was so terrible?”

Amber eyes turned slowly towards Ilia’s curious expression before turning away with a sigh.

“Well-”

“Girls!”

Both heads turned to find Blake’s father approaching them leisurely.  “What are you two doing out here?  You need to get some breakfast.”

“Oh, is it that time already?”  The Blake asked as she rose from her spot and stretched.  “Well, we’d better get some food then, right Ilia?”

Grey eyes narrowed slightly at the ravenette before Ilia decided to shrug it off.  “I guess we do have a big day ahead of us.”

The ravenette nodded and walked ahead while Ilia scrutinized the behavior.

Blake was avoiding her again.

Well, not totally, but Blake acted too similarly to the night she was supposed to leave that Ilia couldn’t help but be suspicious.  Was what happened in Mistral really that bad?

“Hey, Mr. Belladonna, can I ask you something?”  Ilia’s small voice whispered as she tugged on the burly man’s coat.

“Of course Ilia, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, Blake told me we should be arriving in Mistral today, is that right?”

“That is correct,” the man answered with a sigh.  “Hopefully our presence can be of some help to the situation there.”

“Well, what is the situation?”

Mr. Belladonna turned towards the brunette slowly as his eyes looked weary.  Ilia couldn’t help but wonder if he had a hard time sleeping before arriving in a new place like Blake.  He shook his head as he exhaled loudly.

“I don’t know all the details, but our informant in Mistral told us that a human mob razed the faunus district.  I don’t even know what to expect once we get there.”

The brunette hummed in thought as they descended the stairs back below the deck.  Maybe that’s what was bugging Blake.  In the short time Ilia knew the ravenette she always stayed well informed and brainstormed plans on how to fix every crisis in Mantle.  It must have be difficult for her friend to not know what to expect or plan for.  They entered into the dining area, the smell of eggs and bacon hitting Ilia as they took their places at the table.  She’d always peak a glance at Blake, but she didn’t talk to her during breakfast, she didn’t know what to say.

Eventually, Mr. Belladonna gathered the empty dishes.  “Well, that was a good meal.  I’ll get to doing the dishes while you two relax.  We should be arriving in Mistral in about an hour.”

He walked past the two who sat in silence to move past the door that led to the boat's kitchen area, leaving Ilia to stare at the hands she kept in her lap as Blake remained as silent as ever.  What were they going to do for an hour?

“Are you excited to see Mistral?”

The brunette hummed, turning to look at Blake who immediately turned away from the gaze, so Ilia retreated hers to.  “I mean… I don’t know, I’ve never been to Mistral before so…”

“So, you don’t know what it’s like.”

“Yeah,” Ilia mumbled as her hands intertwined.  “I mean, I wouldn’t even know how to dress, which I guess doesn’t mean too much since I’m wearing your clothes anyway.”

“Yeah, we’ll get you your own stuff when we get to Mistral. They have a bunch of shops there.”

“Really?  Are they anything like-?”

She stopped herself before continuing, wringing her hands in her lap as she could feel Blake’s gaze on her.

“What is it Ilia?”

Her hands clenched, “I… remember when I told you that I did something wrong in Atlas?”

“Yeah…” the soft voice echoed as Blake’s gaze immediately turned concerned.  “Is everything okay?”

“Y-Yeah, it’s all fine I just…” Ilia paused, wringing her hands to the timing of her thoughts as she worked through her next statement.  “Its just that… well… I used to go to the shopping malls in Atlas.  And I was just wondering if Mistral had something similar.”

“Oh,” was the soft mumble offered by Blake as she began to study the grain of the table.  “Well, they do have some shopping malls in Mistral, but I’ve never been to them.  They generally don’t have the best view of faunus so my dad and I usually just stick to the outdoor markets.”

“What’s an outdoor market like?”

The ravenette chuckled at Ilia’s innocent question.  “I suppose they wouldn’t do outdoor markets in Atlas since it’s so cold.  Did they not have them in Mantle?  I imagine that people had to get supplies from somewhere.”

“Well, there was a place in one of the docking buildings.  I don’t know exactly how it worked, but the Schnee Dust Company would have food, but it never had much to choose from.”

“That makes sense,” Blake muttered softly as she shook her head while Ilia let her gaze drop to the twiddling thumbs in her lap.

“Hey, Blake?”

“Hmm?”

“You still haven’t told me what an outdoor market it.”

“Oh, right.  Well, it’s basically what it sounds like.  People run a bunch of stalls in this street where people can shop for whatever they need.  It’s not too big a deal.”

“You sound like someone who doesn’t like shopping.”

“It’s not something a lot of faunus have the luxury for.”

Ilia immediately turned pink as she averted her gaze.  “Oh, um… yeah…”

“Mr. Belladonna.”

The two girls turned to the newest arrival with curious expressions on their faces.  “Hello, Mr. Mares, is there something we can help you with?”

Mr. Mares took off his hat to wipe his brow, revealing the horse ears that would slide under his hat.  “Oh, nothing too major Ms. Belladonna.  I just wanted to let your father know that we’ll be approaching Mistral shortly.”

“Of course, my father should still be in the kitchen.”

“Thanks a bundle.”

The horse faunus walked to the door in the far corner as Blake turned to give her companion a soft smile.  “Are you ready to take your first glimpse of Mistral?”

Ilia nodded lightly as the ravenette grabbed her hand to pull her out of the dining room and towards the deck.  The sea salty air greeted them as Blake had to brush her hair out of her face before looking towards the boat’s destination.

“See that giant mountain?”

“How can I not see it?”  Ilia asked as she rushed to the railing to watch in amazement.  “It’s huge!”

“It is.  You see that building up there?”

Grey eyes followed the pointed finger to the very top of the mountain where a large structure could be seen nestled beneath the peak.  Ilia nodded as the hand fell.  “That’s Haven, Mistral’s combat school.”

“They have their combat school all the way on the top of the mountain!”

Blake nodded as Ilia leaned over the railing to peer closely at the marvelous kingdom.  “It’s so colorful, and I can actually see the grass!”

The ravenette loosed a soft chuckle.  “I suppose it was difficult to see the grass with all the snow that Solitas gets.”

“Yeah…” Ilia sighed as she stared in awe.  “It was always white snow and grey buildings.  You never saw the grass and most of the pine trees were removed from Mantle.  Even then, they were usually covered in snow.”

“Yeah, Atlas is pretty dull in that design,” Blake admitted as she moved next to Ilia to lean against the railing.  “Mistral is known for it’s fantastic artwork so they really do a lot to make their kingdom look nice.”

Ilia noticed, with the red roofs of the building standing out against the grey mountain rocks with green shrubbery accenting the colors and a waterfall in the background.  It truly looked like a place from a fairy tale.

“Hey Blake, how are we getting into Mistral?  I only see buildings up the mountain?”

“They have a dock below the main kingdom.  Most people arrive by airship so the top always looks nice.”

“What do the docks look like?”

The ravenette shook her head as she gave a sigh.  “You’ll see once we get there.”

Ilia tilted her head at the response before turning back towards landfall noticing that they were going around a bend.  She tilted her head, trying to look around the cliffside that they had reached as she tried to find the place that they would actually be landing in.  Eventually the mountainside gave way to a bay of worn-down wooden buildings with a dock that Ilia could tell was missing floorboards as dockworkers were hard at work moving crates.

“This looks exactly like Mantle.”

Blake looked on with misty eyes.  “That’s because in Mistral, it pretty much is.”

“Really, but I see some humans here too.”

“Mistral isn’t totally segregated, at least not in the way Atlas tried to separate humans and faunus.  Mistral tends to throw anyone who’s poor or who they fear would tarnish their image down here.  Faunus is apparently only one group of people they feel like pollute the main city.”

Ilia scanned the scene, faunus and humans of different skin colors were all doing the same painstaking work that the faunus of Mantle did on the docks while many looking either to sick or too old to do the back-breaking work simply huddled in the half- made houses that were scattered near the cliffside.

“Don’t stare Ilia,” Blake’s soft voice whispered in her ear.  “It’s rude.”

“Right…”

The sound of heavy footsteps approached them as both heads turned quickly.  “Do you two have your things all packed?”

“Yes Dad, I packed earlier this morning.”

Mr. Belladonna gave a low hum as he ruffled his daughter’s hair.  “Of course you did.  In any case you should grab your belongings.  We’re going to need to make it to the White Fang Safehouse post-haste.”

“Yes Dad!”

Blake skipped off towards the door to the lower deck as Ilia stepped in her same direction.

“Please wait with me for a moment Ilia, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“Hm, what is it Mr. Belladonna?”

He knelt down to be eye level with her.  “I know that Mr. Copperhead gave you permission to work with us, however, that means that I will need your complete cooperation, do you understand?”

“Uh, y-yes sir.”

“Don’t be nervous,” the man stated as he placed a hand on Ilia’s shoulder.  “Just stay close to me and Blake at all times and listen to whatever directions we have for you.  As long as you do those two things you’ll be fine.”

“O-okay.”

A door slammed open as Blake approached the two, now wearing a cloak as she dragged her overstuffed suitcase behind her with another cloak in her arm.

“All set,” she announced before tossing the spare cloak to Ilia.  “Here, you should wear this while we walk through the town.”

“Why?”  Ilia asked as she looked over the fabric.  “It’s not that cold here?”

“It’s not about the weather as much as keeping a low profile,” Blake hastily explained as she rushed Ilia to get it on.  Ilia fought back Blake’s fussing as she threw the cloak on, pulling the hood down before Mr. Belladonna garnered their attention.

“That should be good,” Mr. Belladonna praised as he walked towards where the gangway would be, grabbing the luggage he left there before donning his own hood.  “Anyways, let’s try to make our way through quickly.  It will be difficult to make it through unseen, but as long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves we should be fine.”

“Right.”

“Mhm,” Ilia hummed nervously as she stood stock still beside Blake.  She didn’t know how to respond or what to do, the situation just seemed so tense.

“Just stay by me,” the soft voice besides her whispered as a warm had wrapped around her own.  “I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you.”

Blake gave her most confident smile before turning forward, the gangway was being released with a loud clank as the three descended briskly down.  Ilia looked around as she walked, there were so many old buildings that were worn down and plenty of people loitering around.  That wouldn’t have bothered her as much if she didn’t feel like some of their gazes were on her, internalizing her every move as she walked through the streets before she felt a sharp tug on her hand.

“Just keep moving forward.  Don’t pay any mind to anyone here.”

“But, Bla-?”

“SHH!”  Blake shushed loudly as her eyes maintained a causal gaze that panned the area.  “Don’t say my name out here.”

“Okay,” Ilia whispered as she struggled to keep up.  “But why are all these people watching us?”

“I’ll tell you later, just focus on the road ahead.”

Ilia hummed in response as she squeezed the raventte’s hand tighter.  She didn’t like the way the place felt, but she trusted Blake and Mr. Belladonna to get her to where they were going safely.  Slowly she noticed that they were taking roads that inclined, taking them away from the docks area and onto an open road.

“How much further do we need to go?”

“We just have to go a little outside the kingdom.  Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

The brunette sighed as she turned her gaze to her conjoined hand.  At least Blake was there.  And things had to be okay as long as Blake was there, no matter what happened.

They wound down a small pathway that lead down towards a cliff before finding a path within the mountain.  Ilia was beginning to think that Blake was lying when she said it wasn’t far, but eventually it led to a door, which Ilia thought was incredibly strange.  She didn’t know of any caves that had doors in them, nor did she understand why someone would put a door in a cave.

Mr. Belladonna knocked heavily as a panel opened revealing sharp eyes.

“Who goes there.”

Mr. Belladonna pulled back the hood of his cloak.  “One who is friend to the tiger’s lair.”

The panel forcibly closed before the sound of creaking echoed in the cavern, forcing Ilia to cover her ears as a grand hallway opened up before her.  She was left in absolute awe at the sheer decorativeness of the cave interior, it may as well have been the inside of a palace.

“It’s good to see you Mr. Belladonna,” the woman with goat antlers greeted as she gave a slight bow.  “Sienna Kahn has been waiting anxiously for your arrival.”

“Where is she?”

“I’ll take you to her straight away.”

She walked briskly in front of the trio as the three followed, Ilia struggling to keep up as she let her gaze wander the pillars that held up a balcony, many ornate designs being etched in the pillars and walls as the entire place glowed in the torchlight that was abundant there.  They were led to a door close to the end of the hall where the sight within caused them all to gasp.

It was an infirmary, with many faunus laid out in cots while others tended to their injuries, many of which Ilia noticed were burns, though there were also many that were changing bandages from deep cuts.

“Ghira!”

A woman with tiger’s ears rushed over to the man as she embraced the White Fang leader.  “Thank goodness you made it.  We’re going to need your help.”

“Sienna, what happened here?”

“Let’s discuss this outside, we can plan for what the next course of action should be.”

Ghira gave a soft grunt before turning to the two he’d brought.  “You two, stay here and help in anyway you can.  I’ll fill you both in on what we’re doing afterwards.”

“Of course, Dad!”

“Uh, um… right!”

The man nodded before walking out with the tiger faunus as the Ilia gave a sigh.  “So, what do we do now?”

“Miss Tillan!”

Blake rushed up to a woman with a lizard’s tail and tugged at the end of her dress.  “Miss Tillan, we’ve arrived!”

The fuchsia haired woman turned down towards Blake before dropping to her knees and pinching the girl’s cheeks.  “Aw Blake, is that really you?  You’ve grown since I last saw you.”

“Miss Tillan!”  Blake whined as she tried to bat the pinchy fingers away.  “This is serious, what happened here?!”

Soft green eyes turned away as they looked to be wet with tears.  “There was an attack.  A mob just came through and… and razed the faunus district.  It was horrible…”

Ilia stood by as her breath left her, humans just walked into their homes and attacked the faunus?  It didn't make sense to her, people in Atlas would almost always avoid Mantle if they could help it, so why would people in Mistral just attack?

“What can we do to help!”

Miss Tillan looked into Blake’s determined amber eyes as she wiped a single tear away.  “Just tend to the patients here, make sure they're all taken care of.”

“Of course!”  Blake rushed over towards Ilia.  “You heard that, right?  We need to help the patients here.”

“But… but how do I help them?”

“Just talk to them.  Ask them if they need help with anything or give a listening ear if their down.  I know you can do it.”

“Y-Yeah-”

“Alright, I’ll take care of this side and you start over there and I’ll try to find afterwards.”

“Bu-”

"I'll talk to you later!"  Blake announced, running off as Ilia’s empty hand reached out to her.  She thought… well, she thought that joining Blake meant that they’d do these things together.

But Blake ran off.

She released a sigh, she couldn’t get down, Blake was counting on her!  And as soon as she finished helping everyone else they’d surely be able to hang out again, she just had to pull her weight.  She could do this!

“You appear to be new here.”

Ilia jumped at the sudden voice before turning to the lizard faunus that Blake was talking to earlier.  “Oh, um, I just joined.  I came from Mantle.”

“Aw… I heard about the tragedy there.  You are truly a strong soul to give your support to this cause.”

Ilia simply shrugged her shoulders as she avoided eye contact.  “I suppose so, though I’m not sure.  I really wanted to help Blake.”

A soft laugh escaped Miss Tillan.  “Blake definitely is a bit too ambitious, doing everything she can to save the world single-handedly.  It appears she hasn’t grown out of that yet.”

The brunette let the words soak in as her shoulders slumped.  She never thought that maybe Blake was the type who didn’t need or want help.  Why did she think she had anything worthwhile to offer?

“I…” the words got caught in her throat, she tried not to think too hard on it, but the doubt...

“I guess.”

A soft hand pet her hair as her gaze turned to an equally soft smile.  “Please don’t fret too much about it.  I’m certain Blake considers you a dear friend, she just gets a little too excited when it comes to this work.”

“I understand,” Ilia mumbled as she turned her gaze.

A soft hand ruffled her hair before Miss Tillan rose from her spot.  “Well, if you’re looking for some company, you’re more than welcome to help me if you’d like.”

“Really?”

“Of course, dear,” the woman stated with a soft smile.  “Just follow me and do as I say, we need to help as many of these patients as we can and as efficiently as possible.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

They walked between the cots, Miss Tillan offering words of encouragement as she’d fix bandages and clean wound.  Ilia mostly watched though whenever Miss Tillan asked her to fetch something she went straight to work.  She really liked working with Miss Tillan, she was kind and gentle and motherly, even to someone who just walked in the door not knowing what they were getting into.  Time passed on as the small brunette continued her labors without complaint.  Eventually she couldn’t find anymore bandages in the cupboards that Miss Tillan said all their supplies were in.

“Miss Tillan, we’re out of bandages.”

“Are there no more in the cupboard?”

“No ma’am.”

The woman hummed in thought as she continued to mix a salve for a burn.  “There are more further in the infirmary, do you think you could find your way back here if I gave you directions?”

“I’ll do my best.”

She offered a soft smile at the response.  “That’s all I can ask of you.”

She proceeded to give Ilia directions that the girl hastily followed, passing past cots of injured faunus as she tried to focus on the task given to her.  The infirmary was like a maze, though it made sense since they were still just wandering through massive caverns.  According to Miss Tillan the rooms were further down the caverns and that there were two other wings to the infirmary that branched off, but she just needed to take the nearest turn, then-

“What are you doing here?”

She immediately jumped as she turned towards the voice.  She didn’t take a wrong turn, did she?

“I-I’m just looking for some bandages,” Ilia explained nervously.  “I’m here to help.”

The boy scoffed.  “We don’t need help.  We need justice.”

Ilia was confused for a moment as she tried hard not to stare at the bandage over his left eye.  “Wh-What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean!”  The boy shouted, making the bull horns on the top of his head seem more poignant with his rage.  “They can’t just do this to us!  They can’t attack people in their own homes and burn down the buildings people work in!  They can’t kill our people and do this to my face!  They don’t have the right!”

The boy sat on the cot, his only visible eye looking on the verge of tears as he continually clenched his fists.  “I didn’t… I didn’t mean… they just can’t treat us like that, we’re people too…”

Ilia watched on stunned, wishing that Miss Tillan was there to somehow comfort him, what was she supposed to do?

“Hello?”

She turned towards the voice as the sight of familiar amber eyes filled her with relief.  “Blake, I-I was just grabbing something for Miss Tillan and…”

“It’s okay Ilia,” Blake reassured as she turned towards the red-headed boy on the cot.  “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

Blake released a sigh as she stepped forward.  “Well, what can I do to help.”

He scoffed as a tear rolled down his cheek.  “There’s nothing that can be done.”

The cat faunus knelt before him and placed a gentle hand over his.  “Hey… things’ll be okay.”

“No they won’t!”  He shouted as he glared at her.  “I can’t go back, but they didn’t have to… they could’ve just… they don’t have the right.”

“You’re right, they don’t”

He turned his blue eye towards Blake’s amber gaze as she gave his hand a squeeze.  “And we’ll show them the error of their ways.  We’re going to make things right.”

Ilia watched on, feeling a color creeping over her skin that she desperately felt a need to distract herself from.  “I need to get the bandages for Miss Tillan.”

She walked away, without waiting for Blake’s response or even knowing if the ravenette responded.  What was this feeling that was coming over her?

She looked over her skin, as she noticed a light lime tint to it.  It really made her look sick more than anything, but she didn’t care about that, she cared about the fact that it came up at the sight of Blake with that boy.  Who was that boy anyway?  Did Blake know him?

She shook her head as she found the cabinets and grabbed the bandages.  She rushed out and hurried back to where Miss Tillan last was.  She didn’t have time to worry about those things, she had a job to do.  She’d just have to ask Blake about it later.

She gave a soft sigh of relief as that thought crossed her mind.  She’d be with Blake later.  She still had Blake in her life.

And as long as Blake was there then everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Random fact, In chapter 6 of Aftermath of Autumn, I was thinking of using Clara as the name for Weiss' cousin, but then I thought, Clara Caelum would be a way cooler name than Clara Schnee, so i saved it for this. Anyways, thanks again for reading, please let me know what you think and look forward to the next installment in November!


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